Natick Aims For Green Community Designation
The town of Natick is on its way through a five-step plan that will allow it to be designated as a "green community" by the state.
The town's Planning Board and Town Meeting members approved changes to zoning bylaws in mid-November that eliminate the need for a special permit to build renewable energy manufacturing and research and development projects.
The change is one of five steps the town is pursuing to achieve the "green community" designation from the state's Division of Energy Resources.
Natick is one of at least 106 communities pursuing the distinction, which requires a municipality to agree to five steps that encourage energy efficiency.
The remaining four requirements to become a "green community" are:
- guaranteeing a less than one-year turnaround on renewable energy projects
- a commitment to purchase fuel efficient vehicles, excluding emergency vehicles and school buses
- adopting amended building codes to ensure new construction follows energy efficient practices
- developing a plan to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent over a five-year period
"It's a pretty high bar, so for communities to meet this challenge is going to provide a real demonstration that they are leaders in this field," said Mark Sylvia, director of the Green Communities Division within the state's Department of Energy Resources.
Once dubbed a "green community" by the state, municipalities are eligible to apply for up to $10 million in grants annually made available through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade collaboration of 10 states to limit greenhouse gas emissions by power producers.
In Natick, Bob Bois, the town's environmental compliance officer, said the community is already well on its way to become officially green.
The town conducted a baseline assessment of energy usage in 2002, and has already reduced its carbon footprint by about 8 percent.
New energy management systems have been installed, which allow for remote control of temperature in buildings, and energy-efficient bulbs have been installed. The town's ice rink has also been improved to become more energy efficient, Bois said.
The town has committed to purchasing fuel efficient vehicles, but none have been bought yet. The zoning regulations must be approved by the state Attorney General's Office but should be in place after the New Year, and town officials are working on implementing the expedited permitting process. Building codes will also be adopted sometime next year, he said.
Bois said grant opportunities for completing all five points to become a Green Community have provided incentive to pursue the initiatives.
"It's a process, but there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," Bois said.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Foster said adopting the new zoning regulations was a no-brainer.
"This is just one of the incentives we're trying to create to show that Natick is a good town for a renewable energy company to locate in," Foster said. "It's good for the environment and the economy."
Foster said the zoning bylaw changes received overwhelming support at Town Meeting in November, but he said some residents did have questions about the town's perceived decreased ability to dictate proposed project specifications.
Sylvia said that even with the so-called "by-right zoning" that comes with the new bylaws, applicants still file a plan with the town building inspector for the specifics of the project for review. And, the Planning Board must still approve projects to ensure it complies with zoning regulations.
More than a dozen communities in Central Massachusetts are also receiving planning assistance to become "green communities," including Marlborough, Fitchburg, Leominster, Northbridge, Gardner, Winchendon and Worcester.
Sylvia said he expects the first of the communities to be designated as Green Communities in early 2010.
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