In recent years, communities in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 have adopted Resource Protection Zoning (RPZ) as a tool to protect natural resource

Natural resource

Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....

s and open space

Open space reserve

Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...

. RPZ, which was originally passed in Shutesbury, Massachusetts

Shutesbury, Massachusetts

Shutesbury is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,810 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...

 in spring 2008, includes elements of conservation

Habitat conservation

Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...

 subdivision regulations and cluster development

Cluster development

Cluster development is the economic development of business clusters. The cluster concept has rapidly attracted attention from governments, consultants, and academics since it was first proposed in 1990 by Michael Porter...

 bylaw

Bylaw

By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...

s, to regulate new subdivisions of land in a manner that maximizes the protection of natural resources (wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

s, forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s, agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 lands, open space).

Purpose

The primary objective of this tool is to allow towns to make natural resource protection and open space preservation an important component of any subdivision of land. Because this is a relatively new tool, there have been no applications of the regulations in practice, so it remains to be seen whether it will actually achieve its goals.

Differances from traditional conservation subdivisions

Resource Protection zoning differs from traditional conservation subdivisions and cluster bylaws in many ways, including:

• RPZ is allowed by right, meaning that developers
  Land development
  Land development refers to altering the landscape in any number of ways such as:* changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing...
  
   are not subject to a more onerous permitting process
  Planning permission
  Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
  
   than traditional subdivisions.
• A conservation analysis is performed in accordance with subdivision regulations to ensure that critical resources on the site remain undeveloped. A minimum of 65% of the site must be left as open space, not including wetlands, steep slopes and other unbuildable areas.
• A development formula
  Formula
  In mathematics, a formula is an entity constructed using the symbols and formation rules of a given logical language....
  
  , which combines the results of the conservation analysis, is done to assess the amount of units that can be built in a development. Instead of using minimum lot size requirements (which can encourage sprawl) minimum density requirements are used to determine how many units can go into a development.
• Density bonuses are granted to developers that preserve additional open space, provide affordable housing
  Affordable housing
  Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
  
   or implement innovative wastewater management.
• Within the area of the site that is developable, there are no setback or frontage requirements or minimum lot sizes. This allows the developer flexibility
  Flexibility
  Flexibility may refer to:* Flexibility , the distance of motion of a joint, which may be increased by stretching* Flexibility , in the field of engineering systems design, designs that can adapt when external changes occur...
  
  in developing the site, and when it is combined with the other tools and regulations used in the bylaw, the overall impact is maximizing development potential in the most suitable areas of the site, while protecting critically important resources.