Blackstone Valley Buildout

In June of 2001, the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island sponsored an interstate summit to discuss growth and planning issues in the Blackstone River Valley. This summit represented the culmination of the Blackstone Valley Buildout project. The Buildout was a collaboration of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), and the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission.

The project provided a comprehensive look at the issues and direction of growth, land use, and preservation. With the help of Geographic Information System software (GIS) buildout maps were completed that illustrated what each Blackstone community and the entire Blackstone Valley would look like if all available land were developed in accordance with current zoning.

Each community in the Blackstone Valley received a series of five GIS maps, showing existing development, permanently protected lands, and future developable lands according to their current zoning. Called a buildout analysis, these maps reveal a community’s future layout if all undeveloped land were developed in accordance with existing zoning. The buildout is a tool for projecting future population, households, and commercial growth, as well as demand for water and municipal services.

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Community Preservation SuperSummit Executive Summary
( 685KB / 6 pages )
Presents an overview of the issues discussed at the 2001 summit, includes an explanation of the buildout analysis, summaries of issue-specific workgroups, and strategies for protecting community resources and balancing growth and development.

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