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Existing Conditions

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Existing Conditions Part I: Existing Conditions Rowley Master Plan Final Report June 2003 2. LAND USE Land use refers to the pattern of residential, commercial, industrial, and public development, as well as agriculture, forest, and other undeveloped lands in a community. Land use forms the basis for comprehensive planning and determines, to a large extent, the need for transportation infrastructure, public facilities, and environmental protection measures. This section provides an overview of Rowley’s existing land use, as well as an assessment of how land use is likely to change in the future under the Town’s current zoning. Community Assessment: Land Use & Growth Management Assets Liabilities • Rowley still retains its rural community character • Rowley is losing its rural character and appearance. and appearance. • Under current zoning, the majority of new • Large tracts of land in the Town are undeveloped development will occur in the outlying or rural area of woodlands, farms, and open space. Town and will be residential in nature. • The Town has taken several positive steps to • Approximately 3,300 acres of residentially-zoned control and manage growth including recent developable land exists in Rowley. zoning changes and land acquisitions. • Under current zoning, 1,990 new homes and more • For future economic development, 348 acres of than a million square feet of new commercial, retail, undeveloped land exist on Route 1 in the Retail and industrial development could occur in Town. and Business/Light Industry Districts. • Additional housing units beyond the 1,990 could be added through the comprehensive permit (Chapter 40B) process. • Poorly planned or excessive development could endanger Rowley’s water supply. • New development, if incompatible with the Town’s historical development patterns, could significantly alter the look and feel of the community. • The Town does not have a professional Town Planner on staff. • Design standards for commercial and industrial development do not exist. 2.1 Regional Context The Town of Rowley is approximately 19 square miles in area and is located 32 miles north of Boston on Massachusetts’ North Shore. Its bordering communities include Ipswich to the south, Boxford to the southwest, Georgetown to the west, and Newbury to the north. The Mill River and Mud Creek form the Town’s northern boundary. The Atlantic Ocean comprises the Town’s eastern border and the Rowley River its southeastern border. Also to the east are the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Plum Island. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that previously-held beliefs regarding the Town’s growth limitations were not accurate. The 1963 Master Plan indicated that the Town’s wetlands, soil conditions, mosquito and fly problems, and other constraints would make it impossible for more than 15% of the Town to ever be developed. The 1998 Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) pointed to the obsolescence of this assessment given recent technological advances in construction and on-site Rowley Master Plan Page 15 Land Use wastewater treatment. Between 1991 and 2000, more than 300 acres were developed as single-family homes, while an additional 29 acres were converted from open space to industrial and commercial uses.1 2.2 Existing Land Use Inventory and Analysis Rowley is fortunate to have relatively up-to-date land use information from MassGIS.2 Land use in 1999 is shown in Map 2-1 and Table 2-1. MassGIS compiled the information listed in Table 2-1 using data created by interpreting aerial photographs. The land use discussions in this section are based on actual land use, which does not necessarily match the Town’s zoning districts. Table 2-1 includes a breakdown of both developed and undeveloped land for the years 1991 and 1999. Generally, Rowley has experienced significant decreases in the amount of forested land, farmland, and open space. Conversely, the amount of land dedicated to residential uses has increased significantly. Table 2-1 Land Use in Rowley, 1991 and 1999 1991 1999 Change 1991-1999 Land Usea Acres % Acres % Acres % Agriculture 909 7.7 843 7.1 -65 -7.2% Forest 5,936 50.2 5,690 48.1 -246 -4.1% Freshwater Wetlandb 275 2.3 275 2.3 0 0.0% Saltwater Wetland 2,248 19.0 2,241 19.0 -7 -0.3% Open Land 465 3.9 422 3.6 -43 -9.3% Multi-Family Residential 30 0.3 30 0.3 0 0.0% Medium Density Residentialc 313 2.6 462 3.9 149 47.6% Low Density Residentiald 1,182 10.0 1,336 11.3 154 13.0% Commercial 112 0.9 112 0.9 0 0.0% Industrial 46 0.4 75 0.6 29 63.0% Recreation 123 1.0 123 1.0 0 0.0% Water (excludes ocean) 64 0.5 64 0.5 0 0.0% Other (transportation & util.) 124 1.1 153 1.3 29 23.4% Total 11,826 100.0 11,826 100.0 0 NA a MassGIS classifies land use in Massachusetts using a 21-category classification system. This system has been simplified to 13 categories in this table. b Includes unforested freshwater wetlands only. Forested wetlands are included under the “Forest” category. c Lot size of ¼-acre to ½-acre. d Lot size of more than ½-acre. Source: MassGIS. In comparing the changes that have occurred over the eight-year period, several significant trends become evident. These trends are discussed in detail below. ________________________________ 1 Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Buildout Analysis (2000). 2 Massachusetts Geographic Information System (MassGIS) is the state agency charged with creating, collecting, and distributing geographic information for Massachusetts. Rowley Master Plan Page 16 Land Use Developed Land Uses Developed land includes land occupied by residential, commercial, and industrial uses. In 1991, approximately 1,680 acres were devoted to residential, commercial, and industrial uses. By 1999, the number had increased by 330 acres to slightly more than 2,000 acres. The overwhelming majority of this development was residential. • Residential: Rowley has experienced a significant increase in residential development, as indicated by a population increase of 1,047 between 1990 and 2000 (see Table A-1 in Appendix A). Rowley’s oldest neighborhoods, located in and near the town center, house the Town’s most densely developed residential areas. The majority of recent development has occurred in the outlying sections of Town on larger lots (minimum lot size in the Outlying District increased from 40,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet in 1999). In 1999, residential land use accounted for 15.5% of the Town’s total land area compared to 12.9% in 1991. During that eight-year period, 427 additional acres of land were converted to residential use. • Commercial: Commercial land uses occupy approximately 0.9% of Rowley’s land area. In the last two decades, significant commercial development has occurred, mainly in the vicinity of the Route 1/Route 133 intersection. Prior to the late 1980s, most of Rowley’s retail and service businesses primarily served Town residents. However, more recent business developments, such as restaurants and a supermarket, are intended to serve a wider sub-regional population. Aside from the Route 1/Route 133 area, smaller-scale commercial development exists in the town center as well as on scattered sites throughout the Town. • Industrial: Industrial uses occupy approximately 0.6% of Rowley’s land area. The majority of this land is located on Route 1. Other, smaller industrial uses are scattered throughout the Town. Undeveloped Land Uses Undeveloped land includes lands dedicated to agricultural and recreational uses, as well as lands covered by forests, wetlands, fields, and other uses. • Agriculture: In 1999, 843 acres of croplands, pastures, orchards, and nurseries existed in Rowley. The Chapter 61A tax abatement program classifies 925 acres of land as actively farmed. The Chapter 61A acreage is higher because it can include land that is part of a farmed parcel but not in production (such as wetlands). The largest concentrations of farmland are located west of Route 1, between Route 133 and Wethersfield Street, and near the center of Town, along Main Street (Route 1A), Hammond Street and Central Street. In the past eight years, 65 acres (an average of 8 acres per year) of farmland were converted to other uses. Most of this land has been converted to residential uses. Two dairy farms in Town comprise approximately 290 acres of land or about one-third of the Town’s farmland. In addition, much of the remaining farmland in Rowley produces hay for these two farms. • Forest: Forested lands represent almost 50% or 5,690 acres of the Town’s land area. Of the 5,690 acres, the Chapter 61 tax abatement program classifies approximately 328 acres as actively managed for eventual harvesting. The largest continuous forestlands can be found along the Town’s western edge (including 388 acres in the Georgetown/Rowley State Forest); in the center on either side of Route 1 (including the Spar and Spindle Girl Scout Camp); and in the north, just south of the Mill River (including land controlled by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement). Approximately 246 acres (31 acres per year) of Rowley Master Plan Page 17 Land Use forested land were converted to other uses between 1991 and 1999. Again, most of this land was converted to residential use. At this rate, Rowley can expect to see more than 300 acres of additional forested land converted to other uses over the next decade. • Wetlands: The Town has 275 acres of unforested freshwater wetlands and 2,241 acres of saltwater wetlands. The saltwater wetlands are located in the eastern part of Town, primarily within the Parker River/Essex Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).
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