balancing economic development, environmental protection and rural character

The League of Women Voters - South County will be publishing a voter guide that includes Town Council candidates' answers to questions posed by LWV. I will share my answers here in the coming weeks.

What are the most important priorities when balancing economic development, environmental protection and rural character?

To properly balance these competing interests we must follow Richmond’s Comprehensive Community Plan. This document is required by state law and established with input from a variety of sources. Richmond’s Comprehensive plan includes an overview of the town’s natural and cultural resources, economic conditions, housing and more. The plan lays out goals, policies and actions for natural and cultural resources that will allow Richmond to maintain its rural character, as well as goals and actions for economic development, housing, and infrastructure.

An important priority for maintaining Richmond’s rural character is keeping industrial scale solar out of forested areas. We must maintain our current zoning ordinance that limits solar to areas zoned for general business, industrial, and flex tech.

The comprehensive plan balances economic development, environmental protection and rural character in the Future Land Use section. The plan designates those areas best suited for economic growth, single and multi-family housing, and other uses. Essentially the town needs to focus its commercial development efforts in the existing commercial area along Route 138 and areas designated for future development, such as Richmond Commons. This area is served by public water and its proximity to the highway makes it most suitable for additional businesses.

The Richmond Rural Land Trust itself and through collaboration with groups like the Nature Conservancy can continue to not just conserve property from development, but provide access to those properties for recreational opportunities. This serves the dual purpose of maintaining rural character while providing opportunities for economic development through eco-tourism.