FRCOG received a Nonpoint Source Pollution grant through the MA Department of Environmental Protection to develop watershed-scale zoning to reduce nonpoint source pollution and protect healthy watersheds. The goal of this project is to work with three towns that share watersheds – Greenfield, Bernardston and Shelburne – to update and align their land use regulations to protect healthy waterbodies and reduce pollutant loadings to impaired waters from new development and redevelopment projects. FRCOG will work with the Planning Boards in Greenfield, Bernardston and Shelburne to draft updates to the Zoning and Subdivision Regulations that focus on stormwater management for development in urbanized areas and appropriate uses, prohibited uses, stormwater management, land conservation and performance standards for development within river corridors and floodplains. The work will include building on successful regulations used by their watershed neighbors as well model bylaws and information in the Commonwealth’s Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit, MassDEP’s Clean Water Toolkit and information available from MassAudubon’s Shaping Climate Resilient Communities. Work on this project will begin in early 2023.
More information: Kimberly Noake MacPhee at [email protected] or ext. 130.
