Environmental experts say there are risks and rewards to developing on Connecticut’s improved river water quality.
David Anderson, land campaign manager for Save the Sound, said the development could erode critical buffer zones that protect water quality.
You can also create large impervious surfaces. That is, water flows into the river without first soaking into the ground. It sweeps away harmful contaminants and can cause erosion.
“Riverside development is a balance between ensuring public access and protecting it,” says Anderson. “We don’t want development along the entire river corridor. We want riverbank buffer zones and smaller development opportunities. I think we need to ensure that the resource is protected first and that the public can enjoy it second.”
Save the Sound advocates redevelopment in areas that do not require new roads or infrastructure, or are chock-full of new construction, with much of the property being maintained as open space.
Alicea Charamut, Executive Director of the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, says that while it is possible to develop responsibly near rivers, stormwater management is too often treated as an ‘afterthought’. .
Charamut said runoff management has become more important at a time when climate change is already putting rivers under pressure from extreme fluctuations in water levels.
“As long as we can maintain that focus, understanding that some things need to be different from the past to ensure that we adapt to climate change and do no harm, We can have river-friendly development along the river resources,” said Charamut.
The Rivers Alliance advocates for open access to rivers and water quality protection.
Rivers Alliance Board Chairman Dwight H. Merriam, an attorney and land-use planner, said development and environmental protection can go hand in hand.
Unfortunately, the state’s Energy and Environmental Protection Agency does not have enough staff to adequately plan or monitor water quality and the developments that may affect it.
There are other risks to mitigate, said Phil Birge-Liberman, associate professor of urban and community studies at UConn’s Hartford campus.
Middletown’s plans to create parks, new housing and commercial opportunities on 220 acres of abandoned industrial land could bring in an influx of wealthy visitors and create the risk of altering the culture and costs of the area. said Birge-Liberman.
He said that could drive up prices and create a race to push out “family-owned” stores.
The greater risk is that the approved development plan is later changed, reducing the amount of parks and green space, as happened with Boston’s Harbourfront redevelopment.
“You can see that what was thought to be a significant part of the park is now several acres to half an acre,” said Bilge Lieberman. “I don’t want the green space to be squeezed just because we want more commercial space here.”
Middletown’s master development plan hinges on parks and public spaces. The document reiterates the need to consult and respond to the city’s existing population.
Birge-Liberman also acknowledges potential benefits.
New York’s success with the Highline Linear Park redevelopment of a former freight rail line has attracted the attention of other municipalities and sparked similar efforts, he said.
“What draws members of the creative class to a particular location is the access to green space as well as entertainment as part of the city,” says Birge-Liberman. “There is a movement to have this environmental comfort of green space, ideally combined with commercial activity that enhances the value of the local economy.”
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