II.  Land Use and Growth Management

 

A.  Overview

The land use and growth management section is an inventory of how land is used in Belchertown with proposed management strategies compatible with town goals.  Land use in Belchertown is examined by presenting information on the current land use, recent growth, and development trends, and town regulations related to land use.  This information is projected into the future in the form of a “build-out” analysis to give a sense of what the town will look like if current conditions and regulations stay the same.  These results are compared to growth management goals and policies developed by town residents during the 2000-2001 “Vision Project.” 

 

The dichotomy between the environmental results of projected town growth with no regulatory changes and what town residents want, is the basis for recommendations and implementation strategies for further studies and regulatory changes.  The purpose of these recommendations is to provide Belchertown’s boards, commissions, and citizens with tools to manage growth and direct it towards the town’s desired goals and policies. 

 

B.  Goals & Policies

The following policies were developed to work toward the three overall goals for the town determined during the community vision phase of the community plan project.

 

Goal 1: To maintain Belchertown’s rural New England look and feel.

Policies related to land use for Goal 1:

§         Identify, prioritize, key open space parcels for natural resource protection, agriculture/forestry, and/or recreational uses

§         Maintain the town common and its immediate surrounds as the heart of the town

 

Goal 2: Manage Residential Construction to Increase Benefits to the Community while lessening Potential Negative Effects.

Policies related to land use for Goal 2:

Goal 3: Evaluate and Achieve Business Development that Contributes to Town Life, and Mitigate Potential Negative Impact

Policies related to land use for Goal 3:

 

C.  Current Land Use Patterns

Belchertown is a residential community of 12,968 people, (Census 2000) with a land area of 52.74 square miles (approximately 34,000 acres.).  In land area, it is one of the largest communities in Massachusetts.  Located on the eastern edge of the Connecticut River valley, it stretches twelve miles north and south and five miles across.  Quabbin Reservoir and the Swift River Valley along the Ware town line define the eastern border.  To the north are Pelham and Amherst, and to the west are Granby and Ludlow.  Palmer is south.  The Springfield metropolitan area lies to the southwest. 

 

Land use in Belchertown is almost evenly divided among Chapter 61 forestry, agriculture, and recreational uses; state, town, and other private protected watershed lands; and developed land and private potentially developable land (see Current Land Use Map and Figure 1).  Of the developed land, over 95 % is residential with less than 3% representing commercial or industrial uses.  Visualize a spiny sea star surrounded by a sea of forest and agricultural land and you have an idea of the pattern of land use in Belchertown.  The town’s central common area represents the main body of the “sea star.”  A series of roads radiating north and south, east and west and in between represent the spiny arms.  Along these roads are the prime residential areas.  There are occasional more dense residential nodes resulting from subdivisions.  In between the “spiny legs” are less developed areas of forests and agricultural land.  

 

The actual pattern of land use evolved from Belchertown’s rural New England heritage, early 20th century state land policies, and late 20th century suburbanization.  In turn, Belchertown’s topography, soils, and physiography (lakes, rivers, wetlands and watershed areas) shape and constrain these culturally determined land use patterns. 

Belchertown’s settlement began in the 1730s, and for its first 200 years, land use patterns reflected a dispersed agricultural community focused on the three-acre common with surrounding churches and stores.  Summer residences and informal camps were built on the three lakes to the northwest.  Various small manufacturing businesses, mills, and commercial stores were located near the town center and along the Swift River, Jabish Brook, and the major north/south and east/west railroad and transportation hubs.  Small farms, horticulture and forestry operations flourished in the outlying areas.  In addition to the town center, outlying village areas included Dwight Station to the north, Bardwell Village, and the manufacturing village of Bondsville (mainly in Palmer) to the south. 

 

In the early 1900s, two state-funded projects, the Belchertown State School and Quabbin Reservoir, brought major changes to Belchertown and its land use patterns.  Each of these altered the settlement patterns, employment opportunities, and transportation routes.

 

The Belchertown State School, built on approximately 800 acres just west of town center, opened in 1921.  The school played a dominant role in the economy and community life from the time it was built in the 1920s until it closed in 1990.  At one time, the school had over 1,500 residents, employed about 1,000 people, and had a 200-acre farm that supplied agricultural products to the surrounding community. 

 

The town depended upon the state school’s infrastructure, including its power plant and wastewater treatment facilities, to serve the town center.  This shared arrangement worked to the town’s advantage until the state abandoned the property in the 1990s.  At that time, the town took over the wastewater treatment facilities only to find them woefully antiquated.  The town has since built a new treatment facility with increased capacity to serve the town center, state school campus, nearby schools and commercial areas.  In the late ‘90s, a sewer line was extended south to the Pine Valley Plantation mobile home park.  Another line is under construction northwest to the lakes area.  (See Utilities Map.)

 

In 1980, the New England Small Farms Institute assumed the farm portion of the state school property and continues to occupy this area on Jackson Street under an agreement with the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture.  In 2002, Belchertown’s Economic Development and Industrial Commission (EDIC) assumed control of most of the remaining state school lands for economic development.  One parcel has been sold to a commercial developer, while the EDIC is preparing a business and technology park subdivision for the main campus.  Part of the main campus has been retained by the state for a courthouse site; an adjoining parcel was previously conveyed to the town and is used for a municipal complex.  The re-use of the 800-acre state school property is one of the major land use issues facing the town.

 

Quabbin Reservoir was the second major state project affecting land use in Belchertown.  Constructed from 1934-39, Quabbin is one of the largest drinking water reservoirs in the country.  It displaced residents from eleven communities; many of these displaced people moved to Belchertown.  Four towns, Dana, Greenwich, Prescott, and Enfield, were dissolved, while the other seven, Pelham, Shutesbury, New Salem, Petersham, Hardwick, Ware, and Belchertown had much of their area included in the watershed.  These seven towns’ boundaries were altered to incorporate the dissolved towns’ areas.  In Belchertown, the state took by eminent domain approximately 4,000 acres in the northeastern area.  Today, the reservoir occupies over 1,000 acres of Belchertown’s land and the other 3,000 acres are permanently protected state owned watershed land.  Quabbin and other surrounding state protected lands represent approximately 9% of Belchertown’s land.  Quabbin and closely associated protected lands have essentially prevented any development in Belchertown’s northeast corner.  Preserving and enhancing the environmental resources within the Quabbin area and surrounding watershed are important land use issues for the town and its neighbors.

 

The most recent influence on land use patterns has been population growth and suburbanization.  For its first 200 years, Belchertown grew generally at about 2% a year.  In 1970, the population was 5,936.  By 2000, the population had nearly doubled to 12,968.  In the 10 years between 1990 and 2000, the population grew by 22%; well over the 5% growth rate for the population in the region as a whole.  Projections indicate that Belchertown’s population will almost double again in the next twenty-five years.  The majority (75%) of these new citizens work elsewhere.  Once a “company town” for the state school with an active farming and forestry economy, Belchertown has become a bedroom community for surrounding towns and cities.  The result in terms of land use has been a major shift from agricultural activities and forestry to residential uses. 

 

D.  Land Use Inventory

Belchertown has a land area of approximately 34,000 acres, or approximately 52.74 square miles.  Data presented in the section are based on several sources: Belchertown Assessors Data 2002; The Belchertown Community Data Profile and Build-out, 2001, prepared by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission; and, A Build-out Analysis and Fiscal Impact Assessment For Belchertown Massachusetts, prepared by the Center for Economic Development, 1998, UMass.

 

Figure 1 – Land Use Summary

 

Use                                    Description                                              Acreage     % Total

All Residential                     1 family, 2&3, Condos, Apts                      8,953     26.31%

All Commercial                   Commercial/Office                                         613       1.80%

All Industrial                       Manufacturing/Sand &Gravel                         351       1.03%

Ch.  61 Forestry                                                                                   4,739     13.93%

Ch.  61A Agriculture                                                                            4,167     12.25%

Ch.  61B Recreation                                                                             1,722       5.06%

Tax Exempt Lands              State/Municipal/Churches                           8,130     23.89%

Developable Lands             Private Residential/Com/Industrial               3,461     10.17%

Undevelopable Lands         Private Residential/Com./Industrial              1,627       4.78%

Open Lands                       Res./Indus./Com. & private pond                   265       0.78%

                                          Total Land in Belchertown                    34,029      100.0%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data; acreage values are rounded.

 

 

 

 

 

Residential Uses

Residential uses represent approximately twenty six percent (26%) of the land use in Belchertown (8,900 + acres).  Residential uses include, single family homes, 1,2 and 3 family residences, condominiums, multifamily units and residential mobile homes.  Single-family homes are the predominant residential (88%) land use in Belchertown.  (See Figure 2)

 

Traditionally, single-unit houses were clustered near the center of town, with small vacation style cottages along the three lakes.  Scattered throughout town in outlying areas were farmhouses.  In the last 30 years, single-unit houses have proliferated in outlying areas, either along existing roads or in new subdivisions. 

 

The few duplexes and triplexes are concentrated along Route 9 (Federal St) going north towards Amherst and on Hamilton Street.  Likewise, multi-unit housing and condominiums are concentrated along Route 9, George Hannum Road, and the intersection with 202, and south along 202 towards the center of town.  One condominium is situated on the Amherst line. 

 

 

Figure 2 – Residential Land Use in Belchertown

 

Use                     # Parcels              Acreage             % of total Residential

Single Family                3,674            7,844.14                     87.61%

Condominiums                   78                                                  

Mobile Homes                     3                 88.00                       0.98%

Two Family                     142               299.35                       3.34%

Three Family                     23                 54.75                       0.61%

Accessory Land                43               408.13                       4.56%

Multiple Houses                 19                 41.1                         0.46%

Apartments 4-8                 12                 11.78                       0.13%

Apartments 8 +                   6                 33.00                       0.37%

Mixed Use (estimated)     173               173.00                       1.93%

Total                           4,173            8,953.25                   100.00%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

 

In 2002, a fifty-five and older condominium project with twenty-four units was approved on Federal Street.  Another condominium project has been approved off of Route 21 as part of a golf course development but its future rests with the completion of the golf course. 

 

Belchertown has two mobile home parks.  Pine Valley Plantation is a co-operative restricted to adults.  It is on Chauncey Walker Road, Route 21, and has over 300 units.  Sportshaven is much smaller, with about 30 units, off Mill Valley Road, Route 181.  Sportshaven has no more development potential, while Pine Valley has room for more units. 

 

Overall, potential growth of multi-unit housing is restricted by zoning (any new multi-unit housing would require rezoning) and limited access to town water and sewer.  This provides the opportunity for the community to encourage affordable housing through locating appropriate zoning districts in places where town water and sewer services are available.  (See Public Sewer System map below)

 
Commercial/Industrial Uses

Commercial and industrial uses are limited to four zoning districts: limited business, general business, light industrial & industrial.  Slightly over 1,000 acres (1,096) are zoned commercial and industrial; this represents only 3% of the total land mass in town (see Figures 3 and 4, and Current Business Parcels map in the Economic Development Section.)

 

Commercial uses are concentrated along the Route 9/Route 202 intersection and south into the center of town, along the common and west on State Street (Route 202) to the intersection of Turkey Hill Road (Route 21).  Some additional businesses are located on Federal Street (Route 9) in Dwight and further north near the Amherst border.  The Belchertown side of Bondsville has a couple of factories and a package store.  There are scattered business sites throughout the town. 

 

 

Figure 3 – Commercial Land Use in Belchertown

 

Use                             # parcels             Acreage             % Total

Auto Repair                         8                    18.40                    2.92%

Auto Sales                           1                      1.78                    0.28%

Auto Supplies                      1                      1.47                    0.23%

Bank                                   3                      8.93                    1.41%

Car Wash                            1                      0.43                    0.07%

Childcare                             2                      4.57                    0.72%

Eating/Drinking Estab.          3                      2.63                    0.42%

Farm Blds                           1                      0.08                    0.00%

Fuel Service                        3                      0.81                    0.13%

Gas & engine                       2                      5.38                    0.85%

Golf Course                         2                  204.67                  32.43%

Lumber Yards                     2                    29.81                    4.72%

Medical                             10                    12.06                    1.91%

Mixed Use Est.                  25                  266.00                  42.15%

Office Space                     12                    27.74                    4.40%

Other motor vehicle             1                      2.60                    0.41%

Small Retail                         7                      8.26                    1.31%

Storage/Warehouse             5                    30.69                    4.86%

Truck Terminal                    3                      4.82                    0.76%

Total Commercial           92                  631.13                  99.99%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

 

Three large-scale business developments have recently been proposed for the town.  At the corner of George Hannum Road and Federal Street, Stop and Shop is building the first supermarket in the town.  The commercial complex will include a 57,000 square foot supermarket, a bank, and several small businesses.  In the center of town, a small business center has been proposed behind the new post office, on the west side of the common.  A third office and retail complex has been proposed for the intersection of Turkey Hill Road and State Street (Route 21 and 202).  The proposal includes offices, a supermarket, and a bank.  This proposal is part of the state school economic development plan. 

 

Manufacturing uses are in three areas with a few minor exceptions.  One is a pressure treated lumber plant on Springfield Road; another is Harris Industrial Park, off Bay Road; and the third is a small area in the older manufacturing core of Bondsville along the Swift River.  Further industrial development is constrained by zoning (areas would have to be rezoned) and environmental considerations.  The largest light industrial zone is on the state school property along 202.  This parcel is subject to the state school economic development plan. 

 

 

Figure 4 – Industrial Land Use in Belchertown

 

Use                                    #Parcels           Acreage           % Total

Manufacturing                            4                 70.04               19.92%

Warehouse                                1                   7.77                 2.21%

Industrial office                          1                   1.66                 0.47%

Sand & Gravel                          2                 65.11               18.52%

Gas Storage                              1                   3.00                 0.85%

Electric Right-of-Way              24               117.46               33.41%

Telephone                                 1                   0.50                 0.14%

Mixed Use (estimated)               2                 86.00               24.46%

Total Industrial                     36               351.54             100.00%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

 

Forestry and Agricultural and Recreational Uses

Belchertown has approximately 23,126 acres of forested land.  Forestry and forest products are an important commercial contribution to the town’s economy.  The largest contiguous forested area is the Quabbin watershed land (over 3,000 acres) managed by the MDC.  Privately owned and managed agricultural, forestry and recreational land classified under MGL Chapter 61 (forestry uses), Chapter 61A (agricultural uses), and Ch.  61B (open/recreational land) comprises almost 30% of Belchertown’s landmass.  (See Parcels in Chapter 61 map.)  Landowners with this classification are assessed at the current use value of the land rather than development potential.  However, owners can remove property from these classifications at any time for residential or other development.  When owners change classifications, the town has the right of first refusal to purchase the land.

 

Chapter 61 forestry land is mostly in the north end of town.  In contrast, agricultural and cropland is found mainly in the south.  See the map of Parcels in Chapter 61 Map for a better picture of this land use distribution. 

 

 

Figure 5 Chapter 61 Forest Land

Use                                    # Parcels          Acreage           % Total

Dedicated Forestry                116               3,115                 65.73%

Mixed Use Residential (est.)    46               1,444                 30.47%

Mixed Use Com.                       3                  180                   3.80%

Total Chapter 61                 165               4,739               100.00%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

Agricultural land is dispersed throughout the town, with the largest concentrations in the south.  As shown in the figure, the most common agriculture uses include Christmas tree farms, woodlots, pasture, and mixed use in combination with a residence. 

 

Figure 6 Chapter 61 A Agricultural Land

Use               #Parcels        Acreage           % of total Ag.  Land

Vegetables                                3                    48.75              1.17%

Field Crops                             20                  356.24              8.55%

Orchards                                   7                  197.81              4.75%

Crop Land                                6                  150.27              3.61%

Christmas tree/woodlot            16                  500.83            12.02%

Pasture                                    22                  572.88            13.75%

Nurseries                                   1                      4.51              0.11%

Ponds/Wetland                          4                  172.61              4.14%

Mixed Use Res.  Est.               62                1584.00            38.00%

Mixed Use Com Est.               21                  580.00            13.92%

Total 61A                             162                4167.9            100.00%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

Figure 7 Recreational/Open Space Ch.  61B

Use                                    #Parcels           Acreage           % of total Open  Land

Recreation                               13                  190.46            11.06%

Hiking                                     10                  132.36              7.69%

Nature Study                           20                  418.57            24.31%

Golf                                           2                    22.26              1.29%

Hunting                                      2                    46.02              2.67%

Target Shooting                         1                      6.00              0.35%

Mixed Use/com                         5                  106.00              6.16%

Mixed Use/Res                        32                  800.00            46.47%

Total 61B                               85               1,721.67          100.00%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

Private protected lands include:

§         Pelham Country Club (77 acres) – north

§         Ingate Farms (143 acres) – northwest

§         Fairview Fish and Game (20 acres) – west

§         Swift River Sportsmen’s Club (318 acres) – southeast

§         Mill Valley Golf Club (38 acres) – central

 

These private lands are protected only because of the present operations of the owners.  Their use could be converted at any time. 

 

Although temporarily protected through property classification, the Chapter 61 lands represent over 10,000 acres that could be developed at a house per acre under current zoning.

 

State-Owned Lands

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts controls approximately 6,400 acres or 19% of Belchertown’s land.  Quabbin Reservoir and surrounding protected watershed comprise approximately 4,100 acres (1,000 acres of water, 3,000 land) and is the largest state holding.  This property is controlled by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and allows for some passive recreation and fishing.  Other state controlled land includes: the Swift River Wildlife Management Area (916 acres) and the McLaughlin Trout Hatchery (50 acres), managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, UMass Horticultural Research Center on Sabin Street (127 acres), 35 acres in the Holyoke Range State Park, and the farm land associated with the former Belchertown State School (400 plus acres).  Of the other 300 acres of the state school property, twenty acres were bought by the town for municipal buildings (police department, senior center, recreation department, and schools); 167 acres of the main campus and a separate 52-acre parcel fronting on Turkey Hill Road have recently been bought by the Belchertown EDIC under an agreement with the state Department of Capital Assets Management.  Another 43-acre parcel at the intersection of Turkey Hill Road and State Street was bought by the EDIC and immediately sold to a developer.  The state retained seven acres in the middle of the main campus for a possible courthouse.

 

Except for the trout hatchery and state school campus, these state-owned natural resource based lands represent a significant portion of Belchertown’s open space.  Other than this land, there is relatively little protected open space in town.  The town has been active lately in pursuing conservation land, but other than that, most land is available for development, including the former state school parcels. 

 

Town-owned land and land owned by other municipalities

Approximately 5%, or 1,500 acres, of the town’s land mass is owned by Belchertown and other municipal entities.  Belchertown owns approximately 100 scattered tracts totaling over 600 acres.  These include town municipal buildings, schools, playing fields, several conservation areas, and well and water resource protection areas.  Land owned by other municipal entities is almost entirely for watershed and aquifer protection.  The Town of Amherst, the City of Springfield, and the Bondsville Water and Fire District own hundreds of acres. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 8 Tax Exempt Lands (State, Towns, Churches)

Use/Organization

#Parcels

Acreage

% Total Tax Exempt

US Government

17

119.4

1.47%

Comm. Mass.

44

6468

79.56%

Municipalities

118

1479

18.19%

Charitable

5

12.69

0.16%

Churches

20

37.66

0.46%

Housing Authority

3

9.58

0.12%

Other

3

3.87

0.05%

Total Tax Exempt

210

8130.2

100.00%

Source: 2002 Assessors’ Data

 

 

 

Wetlands, Steep Slopes, Poor Soils

Wetlands, steep slopes, and poor soils place major constraints on land use.  Belchertown is rich in water resources and wetlands.  Almost 10% (3,000 acres) of the town’s land mass is classified as wetlands – rivers, lakes, and undevelopable wet soils.  Steep slopes, primarily in the northeast section of town, comprise another 10% (3,000 acres).  Poor soils are another potential constraint.  (See Soils Limitation for Home Sites and Wetlands and Wet Soils Maps for a perspective on the distribution of wetlands, poor soils, and steep slopes.)

 

Land Available for Development

There are several different ways of estimating land available for development.  The assessors define land available for development as privately-owned land, with sufficient frontage and square footage to meet zoning requirements for residential, commercial, or industrial development.  For this part of the land use inventory, “land available for development” is defined as all land not classified as residential, commercial, industrial or mixed use and excludes Chapter 61 lands, state, municipal, and private protected lands, as well as some open space and wetlands.  Under this restrictive definition, the estimate of land available for development is about 3,200 acres or 10% of the total land mass.  However, this is a very conservative estimate; at any time, Chapter 61 lands can be reclassified as developable lands.  If all chapter 61 land became available, as much as an additional 10,600 acres, for a total of 40% of the town’s landmass, would be available for development. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 6 Developable Land – Not Counting 10,600 Acres of Land in Chapter 61

Use

#Parcels

Acreage

% Total of Developable land

 

Residential

492