Southeastern Massachusetts has grown rapidly........

From 1960 to 2000, the cities and towns of southeastern Massachusetts grew by more than 10,000 people a year (637,937 in 1960 to 1,054,036 in 2000).

10,000 new people a year require an additional 3,500 housing units, result in 27,650 additional vehicle trips per day, consume 710,000 gallons of water each day and enroll 2,157 new students in the public schools each year.

Our region's growth is consuming more land than ever before......

We have consumed more land in the past 40 years than in the first 340 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620.

Southeastern Massachusetts is consuming more land per person than ever before. The amount of developed land is increasing at a rate of 4.1% each year to accommodate a population growth of 1.6%. This gap is the result of large lot development and suburban sprawl.

We have lost one third of our open space and agricultural land in the past thirty years.

Our region's growth is not being felt evenly.......

Over the past forty years, the population of the region's three large cities (Brockton, Fall River and New Bedford), which want, need and can absorb new growth, increased only 1.6%. The rest of the region, much of which is unprepared for development, has grown by 113.5% in that period.

Six of the region's towns grew by more than 25% between 1990 and 2000. Seven communities added 3,000 or more people in that decade.

Southeastern Massachusetts is not prepared for the new growth......

Of the six towns projected to receive the most rapid growth over the next two decades, none have professional planning capability, none have public water and sewer, and only two have recent master plans.

One billion dollars in new transportation improvements (Old Colony RR, Route 44, Routes 3 & 24 improvements) are increasing the growth pressure.

Bottom line.......

Southeastern Massachusetts is the state's new growth frontier. This region is uniquely positioned to grow and prosper in the near term.

In order to encourage the retention and development of quality jobs in our region, we need to give decision makers reasons to be here and stay here. A quality environment and quality landscape are among those reasons.

The unique natural and architectural characteristics that distinguish our corner of New England are in danger of being obscured, diluted and lost.

We have large amounts of undeveloped and unprotected land. Our current planning and zoning dictate a future of sprawl and scattered development. Is this what the public wants?

Thoughtful planning will allow us to accommodate the inevitable change while preserving that which is special.