Development & Growth 2.2: Rate of Growth

Until the 2008 economic downturn, about 200 permits were issued each year for new main homes on undeveloped land– compared to an average of about 400 yearly in the 1980s and about 250 in the 1990s. At the 200 per year rate, it would take about 30 years to issue the 6,000 permits for potential new main homes on the remaining land currently zoned for homes. This is called “build-out”. (This does not include the replacement of existing buildings with new ones, but does factor in additional available land continuing to be protected as open space.)

The current world economic crisis is resulting in a considerable slowdown in the number of homes being built. After previous recessions, growth rates generally picked up where they left off, and the same thing may well happen again here. Alternatively, we can take advantage of the current situation to put in place a framework that would pace the rate of development in the future at the rate that best serves community needs.

From the 1970s to 1990s, the Vineyard towns and the MVC routinely limited the rate of construction within large subdivisions to temper the rate of community change; however, current development is mostly on single lots or small subdivisions. Vineyard towns have also used building caps, limiting the number of home building permits allotted per year in each town. In Massachusetts, the Commonwealth generally limits their use to short time periods and the Vineyard towns’ caps have lapsed or are lapsing. However, proposed revisions to the Commonwealth’s zoning act (Chapter 40A) – called the Land Use Partnership Act – would allow the use of rate of development regulations on an ongoing basis.

There are several potential advantages of slowing down the rate of growth, or limiting it to its current rate.

·  It would keep a steady rate of construction work without debilitating peaks or valleys.

·  It would lead to more open space preservation by giving the community more time to acquire land before it can be developed.

·  It could improve the quality of development projects by giving priority within an annual quota to desirable projects, such as affordable housing or locations served by town infrastructure.

·  It would give the community time to absorb and adjust to the impacts of development and economic booms, and, more opportunity to modify growth management policies to deal with problems as they emerge.

Objective D3: Reduce the rate of development.

·  Strategy D3-1: Implement rate of growth regulations: Implement rate of growth regulations: Island towns should adopt long term “rate of growth” regulations to limit the rate of construction to reflect current infrastructure constraints and each town’s plans to expand its capital facilities. This could be done as a District of Critical Planning Concern established by the MVC within one or more towns, or, by the towns if the proposed Land Use Partnership Act is enacted. These should be structured with flexibility and might exempt certain kinds of development, such as affordable housing and/or smart-growth locations where adequate infrastructure is already in place.