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Fiscal Impacts of Conservation, MassLand Preservation 2013.pptFiscal Impacts of Conservation in Northampton Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability About Northampton: Population: 28,501 12,728 housing units Median Home Value $278,600 35 square miles Density: 833 persons/sq mile Midway between Boston & Albany, CT and VT I-91, Connecticut River Smith College Vibrant Downtown Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability 13 point action plan Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Water Flora & Fauna Environmental Justice Planning Goals Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Objective: Preserve 25% of City Current: 18.1% most ecologically valuable and intact areas Conservation Acquisitions: nature Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Improves quality of life by connecting to all neighborhoods and urban areas Prevent sprawl by providing recreational opportunities near existing development <1% of City Conservation Acquisitions: people Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Agriculture Acquisitions Objective: Preserve farmland Farmland on larger conservation areas Community gardens APRs 3.1% of City Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Recreation Acquisition Objective Recreation land needs 1.6 % of City Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability City Open Space and Recreation Combined22.5% of City, adding½% per year +/- Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Questions About Acquisitions Won’t remaining taxpayers need to pay more now? Cost: Long-term and short term Protection will take land off the tax rolls, doesn’t that cost the City in the long-term? Land no longer available for development, will we lose future revenues? Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Other Studies Available American Farmland Trust Cost of Community Services Ratio of revenue to expenditures by land use type Easy to Use Doesn’t consider variations among categories, capacity to develop Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Other Studies Available Highland Community Initiative Overview, reviewed different methods Fiscal Impact Studies: Expensive, difficult Cost of Community Services (AFT): easy, but don’t consider variations among categories, capacity to develop Fiscal Impact Studies – potential impacts of development, but not current conditions But all had same findings – residential development costs more. Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Community-Specific Study Recognize that not all development, or open space the same Build on and customize existing studies Simple enough to conduct in-house Detailed enough to answer questions without hiding data Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Tax Burden Shift Additional single family tax burden from open space due to prop 2 1/2 levy spread : $19.35 per unit annually Benefits far greater than costs Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Tax Burden Shift: The Data Evaluate tax exempt properties: Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Cost of Services: Schools School-aged children: $12,000 per school year Source: DOE Per-pupil expenditure Approximate, but comes close to more detailed analysis Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Cost of Services: City Operating Costs Cost per resident: $1,900 Source: Municipal Budget, subtract education expenses Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Not All Development is Equal Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability What Does This Mean for Conservation Projects? Plan development when and where it makes sense Prioritize conservation acquisitions Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Bean and Allard Farms (case study 1) Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Courtesy of RS Air Photo Bean Farm First offer: 1974 Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Courtesy of RS Air Photo Mill River Greenway at Bean/Allard Goal: entire river in city Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Courtesy of RS Air Photo Allard Farm First offer: 2007 Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Project History Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability 1971=3,688 acres1985=3,440 acres1999= 3,177 acres 1971 1999 Northampton Farmland Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability 2009 Recreation Assessment Limited options Some sites for 1-2 fields Extremely limited for co-located fields Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Ten and 500-Year Floodplain Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Ten Year Floodplain Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Buildout Analysis Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Buildout Cost Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Simplified, but shows how much the City would need to receive from other revenue sources to ‘break even’ on the project Assembing Mineral Hills (case study 2) Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Mineral Hills Bookends Project Add 100 acres tp Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Add 100 acres in 2 parcels to an existing conservation area at the edge of the City Allow a road to be discontinued Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability 9 total possible lots: 8 frontage lots on one roadway, other parcel already had approved building plan Buildout Analysis Buildout Cost Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability Back-of-the-envelope, home values may be higher in this area, but remote location would also increase service costs Fiscal Impacts of Conservation Sarah LaValley, Northampton Office of Planning & Sustainability