The Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) contracted with CMRPC to perform build-out analyses for our communities. The results of these analyses provide each community with a series of maps depicting areas of potential allowable development under current zoning laws. Tabular data shows the resulting population, school age children, and water consumption required to accommodate this development. The full-color maps and data are especially useful to towns in the midst of comprehensive plans or growth management studies. By understanding the amount of development that is possible under existing controls and resource limits, citizens and local officials will be able to objectively consider alternative land use strategies to preserve community character. The analysis was performed during the years of 1999 through 2002.

A variety of spatial data layers are incorporated into these analyses. A sample list of the data included in build-out analysis is as follows:

• Zoning
• Zoning Overlay Districts
• Subdivisions
• Open Space
• Existing Developed Land
• Transmission Line Buffers
• Wetlands
• Flood Zones
• Slopes
• Hydrography
• River Protection Act Buffers
• Cohen Bill Protection Buffers
• Others

The final series includes a map of each: Town Zoning, Absolute Development Constraints, Developable Lands and Partial Constraints, Composite Development (or Future Developable Land), Town Orthophotography.

Click here to navigate to the EOEA Community Preservation On-Line Viewer.