Town Master Planning -Who's Plan Is It?

I live and work in an area where master plans are supposed to be consistent with a regional plan.

Now, the state of Massachusetts is stepping forward, and in the name of Land Use Reform, is attempting to also establish standards for local master plans.

In the regional vision, small is beautiful. In the state vision, small is anti-business.

So what is a town planner to do?

At the regional level there is a requirement that any residential project of more than 30 units of housing must undergo a very stringent, and costly, regional review. At the state level the belief is that any area that does not allow densities of up to 12 housing units to an acre is exclusionary and is not meeting its share of housing demand.

At the regional level there is a requirement that any commercial project of 10,000 sf must undergo a stringent, and costly, regional review. At the state level there is a belief that local regulations are too costly, time consuming and is defeating the state's economic interests.

To combat what the state believes is an anti-housing and anti-business attitude, the state has adopted several regulatory relief measures to "streamline" development approval. Some of these even have carrots attached. Carrots that are unavailable to the area I am located as to get the development the state believes is desirable will trigger automatic regional regulatory review.

As I watch other communities venture into their local planning, I see many of them worrying about consistency with the conflicting requirements. As I watch, I cannot help but sit back and wonder, why? Really, WHY must a local plan, or town planning for that matter, be crafted in a fashion that provides consistency with measures established by entities above the local level? Especially for issues that are clearly local issues?

I believe that meeting the basic requirements for a local plan is important. These requirements, found in state statutes, such as Chapter 41 Section 81D in Massachusetts provide the basis of what must be studied in a local plan. Additional forces saying that housing projects with more than 15 units, or commercial project larger than 7,500 sf are bad and must be regulated to death; or, conversely, that one acre zoning and commercial special permit approval is bad and must be prohibited, just don't fit into the planning picture. Planning should not prejudge in the fashion that these entities believe must be part of the LOCAL PLAN.

And that really is what it is, the LOCAL PLAN. I know regional consistency requirements have been around for years. Florida started the process and it has spread to most corners of the country. Perhaps, it is time to re-think this regional consistency requirement. Or, at a minimum, establish standards for regional requirements, to ensure that these regional requirements do not tread all over local sovereignty.

I truly believe that LOCAL MASTER PLANS, must be LOCAL PLANS. Bottom up, start to finish. A plan by and for the residents of a community. Not a plan that starts out simply to meet the regional or state priority of the day.