To the Editor;
Development: the people of Rochester don’t seem to want it, and the Town of Rochester can’t stop it. That’s the conflict that occurred at the February 10 Planning Board meeting discussing re-zoning properties from Adrian’s Liquor Store on County Road to the old Decas Cranberry buildings on Mary’s Pond Rd. The Planning Board suggested changing the zoning to “Limited Commercial” because it gives Town more control over inevitable development in this area.
The Planning Board said that under the current regulations and laws, landowners can divide properties, create lots and build houses even on Cranberry Bogs, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of area, size, frontage, offset etc. The Board explained that the zoning tools (rules) available under ‘Limited Commercial’ are stronger than the current zoning of ‘Residential and Agriculture’. It sounds like development will continue out of control under either of these scenarios. Additionally, Town of Rochester desperately needs more tax revenue; and that either comes from new development or higher taxes.
Is there a way to curb rampant development in Rochester? How can Rochester have more control over our town?
Here are options based on conservation:
Pass stricter environmental by-laws, especially protecting surface waters; natural resources like ponds, rivers and wetlands. Protect forests from solar farms. Create a by-law that protects ‘upland cranberry bogs’ from being filled and developed (they have this law in Carver). Increase the minimum house lot size. Creating and upholding these laws, will slow, but not stop development.
Donate money (or land) to Rochester Land Trust or Buzzards Bay Coalition. These organizations hold Conservation Restrictions on properties which preserve them into perpetuity.
Put a conservation restriction on your own property to lower your taxes and guarantee that your ideals of conservation will be carried on for future generations. At a minimum, be proactive with a last will and testament that clearly states your wishes.
Because of Rochester’s large budget deficit, Town Boards regularly approve new development to bring in much needed tax dollars. The problem is that this development is not sustainable; tracts of land are being sold to developers, and those developers propose a ‘by-right’ build and Town has no control. Clever developers start with one single-family home and then manage to push all boundaries of the Boards and the Commission. They end up squeezing in more homes and next thing you know they’ve subdivided the forest into McMansions.
On the other hand, strict conservation means less new tax revenue. Town’s laws, as they currently stand, favor property owners, but sacrifice land to development. How can we keep Rochester beautiful for generations to come if we don’t invest in making it better now?
Snipatuit Pond, Leonard’s Pond, and both the Mattapoisett and the Sippican Rivers are on the State’s impaired water list. It will be painful to witness Mary’s Pond and Snows Pond, both having beautifully existed for thousands of years, ruined within a decade and added to that list because Town did not have the necessary tools to protect them. Poisoned ponds, rancid rivers and toxic bays are not a legacy I want to leave behind.
The time to act is now.
Sincerely,
Michelle Kirby
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