495/MetroWest Development Compact
Plan Implementation Toolkit

The 495/MetroWest region of the state has seen tremendous economic development and job creation over the past thirty years. To continue that success, significant, timely steps need to be taken to make economic development more sustainable for the region.

Toolkit Applicable Statewide Although developed for the 495 Plan, this toolkit is also useful throughout Massachusetts

The 495/MetroWest Development Compact was advanced in collaboration with regional and local participants and included both public and private sectors to form the framework for decision-making in land use regulation and infrastructure investment in the region over the next 20 years.

This toolkit is designed to assist in the implementation of the 495/MetroWest Development Compact Plan. It provides access to sources of funding and technical assistance, model zoning bylaws and other land use techniques, examples, and informative studies and data sources.

Priority Development Areas (PDAs): Techniques and resources for achieving appropriate uses and site design in the PDAs.
Priority Preservation Areas (PPAs): Tools for the protection of land, water, and other natural resources, with a focus on fiscally efficient methods to achieve preservation goals.
Regionally Significant Transportation Investments (RSTIs): Strategies for the development of an enhanced, upgraded, and more sustainable transportation system for the 495 region.
Water Resource Protection and Infrastructure: Resources and information for protecting water quality and meeting water needs of residents, industry and natural systems.
Clean Energy and Climate Change: Information on coordinating land use and transportation consistent with the principles of limiting and reducing greenhouse gas emissions established by the Global Warming Solutions Act and the transportation reorganization statute.

Principles
The Compact is based on six principles for state, regional and local strategies for the growth, development and land preservation efforts in the 37 cities and towns of the 495 Compact Region:

1. Continued new growth will likely require major transportation and other infrastructure upgrades, beyond what is needed to maintain the existing systems in good repair.
2. New commercial and residential growth must occur in a manner respectful of open space resources, transportation networks, and water resources in the region.
3. Land use and transportation decisions must take into account the principles established by the Global Warming Solutions Act, the Clean Energy and Climate Plan, the transportation re-organization statute, and GreenDOT Initiative.
4. Workforce housing must continue to be produced and preserved within the region at a scale that allows the number of workers living in the region to keep pace with the new jobs created in the region.
5. Sustainable new growth will involve the creation and maintenance of an effective public transit system that will coordinate with existing transit.
6. Coordinated planning and implementation efforts are necessary, particularly where jurisdictions and boundaries intersect.

495/MetroWest Development Compact
The Patrick-Murray Administration through Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development partnered with Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the MetroWest Regional Collaborative, the 495/MetroWest Partnership, and Mass Audubon to engage the region in the preparation of a comprehensive land use and development plan.