Town of
Community
Preservation Committee
Community
Preservation Act in
June, 2003
I. Introduction
In the spring of 2001,
CPA funding is provided
through a local real estate tax surcharge and a statewide Registry of Deeds
surcharge. The state funds are distributed to participating communities as
matching funds. The state match can be as much as 100% of the total amount
raised by a community, depending upon how much revenue is collected by the
state and how many communities are participating. As of June 30, 2003, 61
communities had adopted the CPA. (There are two websites that contain
background and other information on the Community Preservation Act. One is contained in the Executive Office of
Environmental Affairs’ website at www.state.ma.us/envir and the other is at www.communitypreservation.org. The latter website provides updates on which
communities have adopted the Act and the status of CPA projects.)
Easton’s CPA surcharge
includes two exemptions: for the first $100,000 of assessed value for every
residence; and an exemption for property owned and occupied by lower income
persons. State matching funds are calculated in October of each year and are
based upon the amounts collected during the preceding year. Easton started
collecting CPA funds on July 1, 2001. We are happy to report that on October
16, 2002, the Town of Easton received state CPA matching funds in the amount of
$420,468, which amount represents 100% of the revenue that the Town collected
from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002.
Every town that passes
the CPA is required to appoint a Community Preservation Committee (CPC). A CPC
has responsibility for administering the CPA within in a town. The CPC studies
the needs and desires of the town, insofar as community preservation is
concerned. It also reviews proposals for CPA funding and recommends CPA
expenditures to Town Meeting. The Town
of Easton’s CPC is comprised of nine citizens: James D. Mullen, Jr., Water
Advisory Commission member, former selectman and former Finance Committee
member; Michael Boyle, Capital Improvements Planning Committee member and
former Finance Committee member; Creig
Muscato, Recreation Director; and Patricia Hunt, former selectwoman and former
Finance Committee member. John Grant serves on the committee for the Easton
Conservation Commission; Edmund Hands serves for the Easton Historical
Commission; Christopher Kone, chairman of the Easton Planning and Zoning Board,
serves for the PZB; Daniel Crane, former director of the Old Colony Planning
Council and chairman of the Easton Housing Authority, serves for the Housing
Authority; and Stephen Torrey, chairman of the Easton Recreation Commission,
serves for the Recreation Commission. Easton’s CPC is listed on the town’s
website at www.easton.ma.us.
CPA funds can be spent
only for the purposes of open space preservation (conservation or recreation),
historic preservation, or community housing and they can be spent only after a
favorable recommendation of the CPC and after town meeting approval. A
community is required to spend or reserve for future spending a minimum of 10%
of the CPA funds collected each year (including state match) for each of the
following community preservation purposes: open space (but not including
recreation); historic preservation; and community housing.
Each community that
passes the CPA does so for its own reasons. The Committee feels it is important
to keep in mind the reasons that Easton’s citizens passed the Community
Preservation Act. Those reasons include Easton’s long-standing record of
supporting conservation and open space preservation; its support for providing
recreational opportunities for Easton’s children; its pride in, and support
for, preservation of Easton’s historic resources; and its value of Easton’s
rural beginnings and desire to preserve some of its remaining scenic vistas,
special places and landmarks for future generations.
Another reason for
Easton’s support of the Community Preservation Act was a more basic, financial
reason. As stated in the growth handbook issued by the Mass Department of
Housing and Community Development (DHCD), open space is generally more
beneficial fiscally to a community than single family residences. In other
words, open space will not send additional children to our schools, demand town
water or require road maintenance.
The
following two passages are excerpted from “The Economic Benefits of Parks and
Open Space – How Land Conservation Helps Communities Grow Smart and Protect the
Bottom Line”, published by The Trust for Public Land, 1999.
“The Benefits of Land
Conservation
Instead of costing money, conserving open space
as a smart growth strategy can save communities money:
-Bowdoinham, Maine,
chose to purchase development rights on a 307-acre dairy farm when research
indicated that the costs of supporting the development would not be met by
anticipated property revenues ‘Undeveloped land is the best tax break a town
has,‘ concluded Selectman George Christopher. (cite)
-A study in
Woodbridge, Connecticut, revealed that taxpayers would be better off buying a
292-acre tract than permitting it to be developed. ‘This town cannot afford not
to buy this land’ wrote Robert Gregg, president of the Woodbridge Land Trust.
(cite)” (page 8)
“Voters say, just buy
it!
More and more
state, county, and municipal voters are deciding that the surest – and often
the fairest- way to protect open space is to just buy it. Purchasing land or
development rights as a way of guiding growth avoids expensive regulatory and
legal battles while reimbursing landowners for the economic and other benefits
the open space will bring to the community.
In November 1998,
voters nationwide faced 240 state and local ballot measures concerning land
conservation, parks, and smarter growth – and approved 72 percent of them. Many
of these were funding measures that will trigger, directly or indirectly, more
than $7.5 billion in state and local funding for land acquisition, easement
purchase, park improvements, and protection of historic resources.
Such successes
show that voters are coming to understand that conservation and open space are
investments, not costs. Recent ballot measures seeking funds for conservation
and open space have received the highest rates of approval among ballot
measures seeking approval for new capital expenditures. (cite)” (page 15)
II. Community Preservation Needs and Goals
(in relation to CPA)
A.
In general – Description
of Needs Assessment Process
The CPC is charged with
studying the “needs, possibilities and resources” of the town regarding
community preservation. To accomplish this task, the CPC has engaged in a
series of meetings with various town groups to determine the town’s community
preservation goals and needs over the next five to ten years, and longer. The
Committee has heard presentations from the Recreation Commission, the Conservation
Commission, the Historical Commission, the Planning and Zoning Board, and the
Housing Authority. The Committee has also reviewed the town’s recently updated
Open Space and Recreation Plan and the needs and goals set forth in that Plan.
The Committee reviewed a number of town maps that illustrate the landscape and
other features of the town, including locations of wetland areas, existing
conservation lands, and special landscape features. The Committee believes that
it is important to review and consider relevant information from all sources
and that it should build upon the already-existing work and recommendations of
other town committees with regard to community preservation issues.
When we invited the
above town groups to come before us, we asked each group to share its ideas and
opinions with us regarding the town’s current and projected community
preservation needs and we asked how they thought CPA funds should be spent.
After listening to their presentations, the Committee is coming to the realization
that Easton’s needs are many. For example, there are a number of key land
acquisitions described in the Town’s Open
Space and Recreation Plan which are recommended to advance the Town’s open
space, conservation and recreation goals. With regard to recreation needs
alone, to accommodate population growth, increasing interest and the Town’s
future needs, it is projected that the Town will need, among other things, four
to five additional neighborhood playgrounds or park areas, two to three
additional 15-acre parcels of land for fields and one larger parcel of
approximately 40 acres. We also learned that there are probably only three or
four 15-acre parcels remaining in town that would have the potential for use as
recreational fields. After considering this and other information, the
Committee has come to what may be an obvious conclusion regarding open space
and recreation: that it would be in the best interest of the town to follow a “no
net loss” policy. In other words, the town should not exacerbate the need
for open space or fields by relinquishing the lands that it already has. As
more and more open space is lost to development, a “no net loss” policy
becomes more important as options for open space, field locations, playgrounds
and other community land uses are increasingly eliminated. If the town should
conclude, after reasonable inquiry, that it does not have a need for a
particular parcel of town-owned land and the parcel is not usable for
recreational, open space or other needs, and if the town decides to dispose of
such land, the Committee recommends that town consider requiring, as part of
the disposition price, the exchange of another parcel in Easton which could
serve community preservation purposes. Further, the town and its various departments
should avoid decisions which result in the diversion (and ultimate loss) of
existing open space, playing fields or recreation land to other uses. Following
these policies would ensure that there is “no net loss” in existing
community-owned open space, playing fields and recreational land. Such policies would also apply to the
preservation of town-owned historic resources. Because the voters of Easton
have stated that community preservation is an important thing to do, our town
leaders should consider community preservation values when making decisions.
The CPC held a public hearing in March of 2002 and one in April of 2003, and we will hold one each year. The purpose of such hearings is for the Committee to listen to the views, thoughts and ideas of Easton residents on community preservation issues. The Committee meets monthly and as needed at the Town Offices. The meetings are posted and are open to the public. The CPC has also been added to the list of Town committees and departments that are notified when a parcel of land is being considered for purchase by the Town. This review process allows the relevant town committees and departments to provide input for the Selectmen on whether the Town should acquire a particular parcel.
The CPC believes that the goals and needs of the community with regard to open space and recreation have been thoughtfully prepared through an ongoing public planning process and are set forth in the 2001 Town of Easton Open Space and Recreation Plan. As a result, the relevant portions of the Plan are excerpted or summarized, where appropriate, in this document. The community goals outlined in the Open Space and Recreation Plan grow “out of the goals in the 1971 Easton Master Plan, the 1976 Conservation Plan/Five-Year Action Plan, the 1982 Conservation Plan and the 1996 Open Space and Recreation Plan. Preparation of the 1996 Plan involved a number of town boards and officials and agencies including the Conservation Commission, Conservation Staff, Recreation Commission, Recreation Staff, Department of Public Works, Office of the Town Administrator, the Natural Resources Trust of Easton and the Old Colony Planning Council.” [1] The Committee acknowledges, with appreciation, that the Easton Conservation Commission has already done much to further the goals set forth in the Open Space and Recreation Plan and in its predecessor plans and we recognize and appreciate the Commission’s ongoing efforts. (The Committee notes that some of the particular goals, needs or recommendations contained in the Open Space and Recreation Plan may not be eligible for CPA funding. Each proposed CPA project must be eligible for funding pursuant to the Community Preservation Act.)
Open Space and Recreation Plan
- Plan Summary:
“…The overall recommendation is to take a range of actions to maintain
Easton's semi-rural character, to protect major scenic landscapes, valuable
wildlife habitat, and water resources, to provide varied open spaces in or near
every neighborhood, and to meet recreation needs of a diverse population. In
particular the town wants to make best use of its stream system. As the Natural
Resources Trust of Easton has noted: ‘If all brooks in Easton and their
wetlands are protected, along with adjacent uplands wherever that is possible,
all homes in Easton will have protected open space nearby, birds and other
wildlife will have corridors of protected land through which they can safety
move, a variety of natural habitat types will be available to help maintain
wildlife diversity, and a system of hiking trails can be established through
the town’.” [2]
Conservation Needs Analysis
“Easton has had a long tradition of community support for preservation
of its community character, natural resources and open space areas. Yet it
still has a long way to go in terms of achieving its bold, comprehensive open
space goals. Easton's growth and development trends are putting pressure on its
remaining undeveloped areas and are changing the character of the town from a
semi-rural, New England village type of community to a sprawling suburban one.
The Town must meet
the following needs in order to achieve its open space goals:
This could include designation of Scenic
Roads for protection of scenic amenities (e.g. stone walls and trees) by the
Planning Board, or acquisition of scenic easements.
The open space and conservation goals of
the Plan [4]
are summarized as follows:
The major open space recommendations of the Plan[5]
are summarized as follows:
(Although the Plan makes recommendations regarding specific land
acquisitions to further the open space goals, this document does not identify
specific parcels of land. At the time that a specific land acquisition is
recommended by the CPC, a presentation will be made on the proposal for Town
Meeting’s consideration. All Community Preservation Fund expenditures are
subject to Town Meeting approval.)
The Recreation Goals for the Town of Easton as set forth in the Plan[6] are:
1. Classification of Public Recreational Facilities
· Community Park: This type of facility serves the entire community and provides a large contiguous open space for area town residents. Standards found in the 1971 Easton Town Master Plan (referred to as Master Plan) call for 20 more acres for a community park.
· Neighborhood Park: A neighborhood park is similar to a community park but serves a smaller geographic area. The purpose of this type of park is to provide water, forest or landscaped settings as an aesthetic release from development. Master Plan standards for a neighborhood park are one-half acres serving a geographic area of one-quarter to one-half mile radius.
· Playfields: The playfield serves as a center for outdoor sports competition for all ages, but especially for teenagers and adults. Playfields can be all-purpose (available for both spontaneous and organized activities) or specialized, i.e. designed specifically for use as a baseball, football or soccer field to meet league dimensional regulations. Master Plan standards require 12 acres minimum or 1 acre per 800 residents. SCORP guidelines, as stated in the 1989 East Bridgewater Open Space Plan, indicate 3 acres per 1000 residents, with a minimum size of 10 acres. Playfields also require a parking area with adequate number of parking spaces.
· Playgrounds: Playgrounds serve as an outdoor games center for a particular neighborhood. Facilities should include play devices, running area, swings and benches. Larger playgrounds should include an area for tot lot activities. Master Plan standards require 5 acre minimum size or 1 acre per every 800 residents, and a service area radius of one-quarter to one-half mile. SCORP standards require one acre per 250 children of elementary school in densely populated neighborhoods, and a service area radius on one-half mile.
· Play Lot or Tot Lot: A play lot should include swings, slides, sandbox and other equipment to serve one-to-five year olds. Tot lots can also function as a means of lessening social isolation of suburban parents. Master Plan standards require a minimum of one to two acres, serving an area of one-quarter to one-half mile. SCORP standards require one-half acre for each 1000 persons in densely populated neighborhoods, and a service area radius of one-quarter mile.
2. Recreation Department : Due to the sale of the former North Easton Grammar School site the recreation office is now located in the Town Hall basement. This is a small space with very limited storage and accessibility that was deemed unsuitable when a move to the current site was undertaken. The Recreation department urgently needs a permanent suitable location in order to conduct ongoing activities and coordinate plans for the future in a stable atmosphere.
3. Additional Field and Space Requirements
a) Playgrounds 5
b) Swimming areas 1
c) Soccer Fields 4*
d) Youth baseball 5
e) T-ball 6 **
f) Babe Ruth 6
g) Softball 4
h) Football 4*
i) Lacrosse 2*
j) Winter skating 2
k) Skating parks 2
1) Youth basketball 5 (Indoor courts)
* Some of these fields can be combined
** Space can be found for this use on existing and new field areas with the cooperation of all parties.
4. Land Acquisitions Required Over the Next Five Years, as outlined in the Open Space and Recreation Plan (for recreation)
a) One 40 acre site for a community park and recreation center
b) Two 15 acre sites for future playing fields
c) Four sites between 1 and 4 acres for neighborhood parks, playgrounds and tot lots. (Note: These uses would also be integrated into the development of the Community Park and playing field sites)
C. Historic Preservation Needs
and Goals.
Created by the Town Meeting in 1970, pursuant to Chapter 40, Section 80 of the M.G.L.
of 1969, the Easton Historical Commission has promoted the preservation of the historic assets of the town in a variety of ways.
One of the earliest functions of the Commission and one that continues to the present is increasing public awareness of the town's historic assets. As part of the national bicentennial 25 houses built before 1800 were identified and marked. Since 1975 the Commission has issued several thousand maps detailing the history of Easton. Stone markers have been placed in a number of neighborhoods including Militia Park, South Easton Green, Easton Center, and Swift's Park to commemorate important events or buildings. The most recent of these markers, located at the junction of Main and Washington Streets, includes the Commission's historic map of Easton. Currently, the Commission is placing road signs to memorialize the historic names of various corners in Easton.
One of the most important roles of the Easton Historical Commission has been to advise the Massachusetts Historical Commission in enforcing state and national preservation regulations. A key part of this process is the surveying of historic buildings and sites. A broad survey of the town was completed by local volunteers in the first decade of the Commission's existence. In the past five years grants have enabled professional surveys of the Hayward-Poole neighborhood, Easton Center, Eastondale, and the Jenny Lind Street area Properties that have been surveyed may be eligible for protections offered by the National Register of Historic Places. In 1972 the Old Colony Railroad Station became the first Easton property added to the National Register of Historic places. Also in 1972, part of Bay Road south of Five Corners, and a large part of North Easton were designated National Historic Districts. The North Easton District is one of the largest in the country. In 1984 the Furnace Village National Historic District was created, and in 1996 the mansion and grounds of Borderland became the town's fourth National Historic District. Previously, in 1988, the five Richardson buildings and landscaping by Frederick Law Olmstead in North Easton were designated a Historic Landmark District. Properties within Historic Landmark and National Register districts are eligible for certain state and national grants. Within these districts and in areas designated as potential historic districts actions by government agencies and private individuals using government funds are strictly monitored by the Massachusetts Historical Commission acting with the advice of the Easton Historical Commission. Recently, for example, Nextel was not allowed to place a communications tower in the heart of the North Easton Historic District.
Perhaps the most important role of the Easton Historical Commission is its advisory capacity for the Planning and Zoning Board and the Board of Appeals. A strong working relationship has developed over many years involving the comment process for both boards. Applicants are often referred to the Commission for revision of proposals. Many building proponents now met with the Commission as they develop plans. Most recently, the Commission has developed a similar relationship with the Building Inspector whereby notification of demolitions or extensive remodeling of historic buildings are forwarded to the Commission.
The following represent the goals of the Easton Historic Commission as presented to the CPC in regard to the Community Preservation Act. At this time, the Commission is also considering the undertaking of the preparation of a historic resources survey and preservation plan.
General:
· Facilitate rehabilitation and restoration of historic housing and other historic properties (including historic cemeteries) with historically sensitive methods.
· Encourage through purchase or other incentives (such as supporting restoration) the creation of Historic Preservation Restrictions on significant historic structures currently under private ownership.
· Support preservation and restoration of historically significant municipal property.
· Improve accessibility to and interpretation of historic sites, in particular town owned historic landscapes by developing signage systems.
· Develop a mechanism that would give the Historical Commission greater authority to affect changes to historic districts and specific historic structures -- This may be creation of local historic districts or areas under control of design review boards, for example, creation of which requires funding.
· Support continued survey and documentation of historic sites, structures, and neighborhoods in town and provide financial ability to follow through on surveys with procedures to enhance protection of these areas.
Specific
Projects:
· Restore property at corner of Williams and Main Streets, add preservation restriction, and perhaps turn into affordable housing.
· Find a way to save 9 Mechanic Street (the former church/ synagogue) and have it restored in a way sympathetic to the historic structure.
· Assist with preservation of Harmony Hall.
· Restore the Italian Gardens behind the library.
Possible
Mechanism:
To set up a revolving fund that will allow us to accomplish these goals. Many of these are multi-year projects, some with high up-front costs to be reimbursed at the end of the project (such as a purchase, restore, re-sell with restrictions program).
Easton Housing Authority goals: To provide a variety of housing choices that meet the needs of individuals and families in the town of Easton.
In relation to community housing projects eligible for CPA funding, the Easton Housing Authority is considering undertaking a community housing needs assessment and developing a plan for community housing compatible with community character and eligible for CPA funding. The Committee looks forward to the development of such a Plan.
· Consistency with the Town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan or other
planning documents related to community preservation that have
undergone a public planning process.
· Serves more than one community preservation principle.
· Support of relevant town committee (Conservation Commission, Recreation
Commission, Historic Commission, Easton Housing Authority).
· Project will have multiple funding sources /CPA funds can be used to leverage
other funds.
· Preserves a threatened resource. (Future of resource if project not funded.)
· Acquisition project vs. development project.
· Public access (if applicable to project.)
· Affordable cost.
· Consistent with preservation program priorities. (Will not divert funding from project with higher priority.)
Thus far, the Committee has reviewed five parcels of land for potential acquisition. The Town held a right of first refusal on two of the parcels.[7] When reviewing these parcels, the Committee looked at a number of different factors: the potential CPA uses – conservation, recreation, historic preservation or community housing; whether the parcel was listed for acquisition in the Open Space and Recreation Plan; what would happen to the parcel if not acquired by the Town; the costs of acquisition; and where the acquisition of this parcel stood in relation to other priorities, including those of the Open Space and Recreation Plan. Some committee members walked accessible parcels. We reviewed any plans, including proposed subdivision plans, which involved the parcels. In two of the cases where the parcels were being sold for development, the Committee considered that the Town would be gifted some land as a part of the development plan. Ultimately, in each case, we asked ourselves “if we buy this parcel, will there be sufficient money left to do the acquisition projects that have greater priority?” Each parcel was desirable in some way, which made the decisions more difficult. In each case, however, the Committee recommended not going forward with the acquisition. The Committee understands that its focus must be to ensure that there will be CPA funds for the priority acquisitions when they arise. Although we would like to provide more detail on the priority acquisitions, we do not feel it is in the best interests of the town or landowners to identify particular parcels at this time.
Although it seems that the CPA will generate sufficient funds for preservation purposes, when one considers that a single house lot in Easton can sell for approximately $200,000, it becomes clear that land acquisition for CPA purposes will not come cheaply and that the CPA will not generate funds sufficient to support every proposal or acquire every desirable parcel of land. The members of the Committee are also acutely aware that once a parcel of land or other resource is “developed”, the opportunity for preserving it for community uses is limited or lost entirely. As a result, the Committee acknowledges that it must carefully consider priorities for CPA funding and dedicate itself to making the best recommendations that it can for the Town’s consideration.
The Committee will annually report to the Town Meeting on Community Preservation Fund revenues and present its recommendations for Community Preservation Fund expenditures and projects. From time to time, the CPC will also post information on the Town’s website. We would be very interested to hear your thoughts. Do you know of a special place or thing in Easton that would be missed by the community if it were lost to development? If you were asked to identify one place or thing that the community should try to preserve, what would you say? CPA funds are your funds; we’d like to hear your ideas.
The following quote illustrates the
realities of the challenge before us in the race for community preservation:
“We really only have the next decade to define the landscape on which future
generations will live.” Boston Globe,
August 8, 2002, former Mass. Secretary of Environmental Affairs, Robert Durand.
Respectfully submitted,
[1] Open Space and Recreation Plan, Community
Goals.
[2] Open Space and Recreation Plan, Plan
Summary.
[3] Open Space and Recreation Plan, Conservation
Needs Analysis.
[4] Open Space and Recreation Plan, Goals and
Objectives.
[5] Open Space and Recreation Plan, Plan
Summary.
[6] Open Space and Recreation Plan, Recreation
Needs Analysis.
[7] The Town receives a “Right of First Refusal” on a parcel that has been placed by the landowner into the Chapter 61A or 61B agricultural or forestry tax program. This program provides a landowner with a real estate tax deferral for such land in exchange for the Town having a right to purchase the property when the property comes up for sale or is changed from its agricultural or forestry use.