Balancing Housing Growth with Rural Preservation

Scott Wolf, executive director of Grow Smart Rhode Island, proposes a "bold" strategy for maintaining Rhode Island's rural communities.

1 minute read

October 1, 2005, 9:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

Preserving forests, farms, watersheds, and access to the coastline are all ways to maintain the rural character that helps make us unique. Requiring residential lots of three to five acres throughout a community is not a good strategy for protecting rural character. This "large-lot zoning" fragments landscapes, destroys wildlife habitats, and is a highly inefficient way to use our land. Imagine how much forest must be cut to accommodate a subdivision of five-acre lots.

Thanks to John Flaherty

FULL STORY: Scott Wolf: Smart housing strategies -- Build small and close to save rural R.I.

Friday, September 30, 2005 in The Providence Journal

Housing Rhode Island

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