Aquidneck Island Open Space Mapping Project Final Report January 2012 Aquidneck Island Planning Commission ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) would like to thank the following individuals and groups for contributing their expertise and time to the Aquidneck Island Open Space Mapping Project. AIPC is particularly grateful to the members of the project Advisory Committee for their help in establishing the project goals and reviewing the accuracy of the maps and data. Advisory Committee Paige Bronk, City of Newport Edward Clement, Aquidneck Land Trust Trudy Coxe, Preservation Society of Newport County Teresa Crean, University of Rhode Island Sea Grant/Coastal Resources Center Gary Crosby, Town of Portsmouth Paul Jordan, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Karen Menezes, Portsmouth Open Space Committee Tom Sandham, Rhode Island Agricultural Partnership Jody Sullivan, Newport County Chamber of Commerce Ron Wolanski, Town of Middletown AIPC Staff Tina Dolen, Executive Director Christopher Witt, Director of Planning and Communications Other Project Contributers Alison Ring, Town of Middletown Jeremy Krotz Funding The van Beuren Charitable Foundation provided support for the project. Aquidneck Island Planning Commission 437 Broadway, Newport, RI 02840 401-845-9299 www.aquidneckplanning.org Aquidneck Island Open Space 3 Mapping Project TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 5 Project Overview 7 Methods 10 Findings 13 Appendix A Open Space Maps 25 Appendix B Detailed Methods 32 Appendix C Data Access Policy 34 DISCLAIMER: The maps and data in this report are useful for planning purposes but should not be relied upon to determine property, zoning or be used in any way for project design. The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) makes no guarantee of the accuracy or completeness of this data. It has not been fully reviewed for accuracy and is intended to be used for planning purposes only. AIPC assumes no liability or responsibility in the use, or misuse, of this data. Aquidneck Island Open Space 4 Mapping Project EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Aquidneck Island, sitting at the mouth of Narragansett Bay, has a diverse landscape that ranges from the dense urban neighborhoods of Newport to the farmland of Middletown and Portsmouth. Open space is critical to the health of the region; it provides space for food production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and natural beauty. Its presence improves the quality of life for residents and contributes to Aquidneck Island’s distinctive character. Many areas of Aquidneck Island retain a rural character, although the island has experienced substantial development over the past twenty years, and much of its former farmland and other open areas are given over to residential and commercial lots. Open Space Type The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) developed Agriculture the open space mapping project to create a census of open Cemetery space on Aquidneck Island. Its major goal was to determine the Historic PORTSMOUTH location, type, and amount of open space on the island. Using Limited Development Natural Area a broad definition of open space that encompassed all land Recreation free from intensive development, it identified farms, recreation School areas, natural areas, vacant land, cemeteries, and other types of Special open space. It intends this census to provide the island’s three Utility municipalities of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth with Vacant the data they need to plan for and manage their open space Water areas. The information will also be useful to state agencies, local Not Open Space Other Communities conservation groups and others interested in the island’s open Major Roads areas. Municipal Boundaries AIPC used geographic information system (GIS) technology to MIDDLETOWN develop a series of maps and tables that identify and categorize Aquidneck Island’s open space areas at the real estate parcel level. It also used GIS to conduct a susceptibility analysis on the identified open space parcels based on a set of criteria developed in collaboration with the project advisory committee. NEWPORT The criteria include public/private ownership, density of existing development, and conservation status. The analysis provides each parcel with a score that describes how sensitive the area is [ 0 1.5 3 Miles to a change in use . Figure 1: Aquidneck Island Open Space Aquidneck Island Open Space 5 Mapping Project EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Findings The results of the open space census show that there are approximately 17,287 acres of open space in the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth, and 13,623 acres when Portsmouth’s outlying islands are excluded. The suspeptibility analysis scored the island’s open space areas on a scale of 1 - 3, with 1 being least susceptible, 2 somewhat susceptible, and 3 most susceptible. The analysis revealed that areas scored as most susceptible accounted for the largest percentange of the island’s open space, with the majority of these areas located in Portsmouth. AIPC believes the results of the open space mapping project will be a valuable resource for Aquidneck island’s communities as they evaluate recreational opportunities, habitat preservation, Susceptibility Score watershed protection, and the location of future development. Least Susceptible PORTSMOUTH Somewhat Susceptible Most Susceptible Not Open Space Other Communities AQUIDNECK ISLAND AND ISLANDS Open Space Type Count Area (acres) Average Size Percentage Major Roads Agricultural 471 4,463.22 9.48 25.82% Municipal Boundaries Cemetery 27 202.05 7.48 1.17% Historic 50 173.79 3.48 1.01% Limited Development 430 2,413.06 5.61 13.96% Natural Area 445 4,549.82 10.22 26.32% Recreation 146 1,868.21 12.80 10.81% School 77 829.13 10.77 4.80% Special 19 487.52 25.66 2.82% MIDDLETOWN Utility 51 538.70 10.56 3.12% Vacant 1353 915.45 0.68 5.30% Water 11 846.25 76.93 4.90% TOTALS 3,080 17,287.18 5.6 NEWPORT [ 0 1.5 3 Miles Figure 2: Open Space Susceptibility Aquidneck Island Open Space 6 Mapping Project PROJECT OVERVIEW Project Summary Assess the susceptibility to change of Aquidneck Island’s open space areas. Aquidneck Island Open Space Mapping Project was a two phase study that began in January 2011 with the broad goals Ensure data on Aquidneck Island’s open space are available of identifying and categorizing the island’s open areas. In the to its municipalities and other interested organizations. first phase of the project, AIPC mapped Aquidneck Island’s open space at the parcel level, placing each parcel into one Norman Bird Sanctuary in of eleven land use categories and identifying publicly-owned Open Space Definition Middletown and conserved parcels. In the second phase, the organization conducted a susceptibility to change analysis on the identified The project advisory committee helped develop a definition of open space parcels, using eight criteria. open space to structure the mapping project’s identification and categorization of Aquidneck Island’s open areas. Over the twelve-month study period, the organization worked with a ten member advisory committee to develop a detailed list of goals, a working definition of open space and a data access Open space is an area of land or water that is in its natural policy (Appendix B). The committee members also reviewed state, used for agriculture, or free from intensive development the draft open space maps for accuracy, and they guided the for recreational, residential, commercial, industrial or institutional development of the susceptibility analysis. use. The final product of the mapping project is this report, which contains maps and tables that provide a detailed, comprehensive Open Space Categories picture of Aquidneck Island’s open space. AIPC intends the report to be a resource for the island’s municipalities, state As AIPC identified open space areas on Aquidneck Island, agencies, and others with a stake in the future of the island’s certain major categories such as agriculture and recreation emerged, and after discussions with members of the advisory open areas. committee, it decided on a system of eleven categories to organize the island’s open space for mapping and analysis. Sandy Point in Portsmouth Goals These are: AIPC developed a set of goals for the open space mapping Agriculture, Cemetery, Historic, Limited Development, Natural project in collaboration with the advisory committee, which Area, Recreation, School, Special, Utility, Vacant, and Water. guided the course of the work during the study period. The goals provided a framework for completing the project in a timely and efficient manner. Determine the type, location, and amount of open space on Aquidneck Island. Aquidneck Island Open Space 7 Mapping Project PROJECT OVERVIEW Open Space Category Definitions Utility Agriculture Undeveloped parcels owned or in use by utility companies. Land in use for agricultural purposes including, cropland, nurseries, and orchards Vacant Parcels that contain no structures or impervious surfaces but Cemetery show indications of alterations by humans. Purgatory Chasm in Land used primarily as a cemetery Middletown Water Historic Parcels that consist primarily of large ponds or reservoirs. Land comprised primarily of open space that has recognized historical value or a historical designation. AIPC recognizes that these categories are not definitive and that many parcels fit into more than one category. For instance, Limited Development a parcel may contain both forested areas and agriculture. The Parcels that contain structures or impervious surfaces but organization created a secondary land use category to account consist primarily of open space. The category includes only for some of the inevitable inaccuracy of any categorization parcels where buildings or impervious surfaces cover less than system. AIPC used its best judgment to assign a primary 5% of their area. category to each open space parcel and used the secondary to further describe parcels that contained more than one type of Natural Area open space and provide additional detail where necessary. Open space parcels that are in a natural state – free from structures, paving, agriculture, or substantial clearing.