By Scott Wolf
We have heard a lot so far in the 2006 campaign about Rhode Island’s liabilities, particularly our long history of corruption. No one can deny that this is a continuing and serious problem.
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At Grow Smart Rhode Island, however, we believe that any comprehensive, long-term action plan for Rhode Island needs to analyze and capitalize on our assets, as well as minimize our liabilities. For too long we largely took for granted and in too many cases even squandered one of our biggest assets, our distinctive quality of place.
To tap Rhode Island’s full potential, we are encouraging all candidates for office this year to embrace and prioritize an agenda of protecting and enhancing that quality. This smart-growth agenda calls for development that safeguards open space and farmland, revitalizes urban, town and village centers, keeps housing affordable and expands economic opportunity and transportation choices.
We are keenly aware that accomplishing all of these ambitious objectives is not a simple task, but we believe that it is a critical and urgent one. To help state and local leaders formulate a substantive game plan, Grow Smart Rhode Island has just released a candidates’ briefing book entitled “Strategies for Protecting our Quality of Place and Expanding Economic Opportunity.”
To maintain our place-based economic advantages, Rhode Island’s growth must happen by choice, not by chance. Where this prudent approach to growth is being implemented, we’re seeing positive results. Many of our urban and town centers are now realizing the benefits of private investment – fueled largely by a state historic tax credit program.
Some of our rural areas are beginning to direct growth away from their farms and forests, through incentives that draw growth to existing town centers and ordinances such as “village zoning,” reversing decades of conventional zoning that prohibit the kinds of places where people want to live, work, shop and play.
However, the still-dominant pattern of scattered large-lot development and car-dependent strip malls continues to threaten our cherished sense of place. That’s why it is critical that we act now.
The policy recommendations in Grow Smart’s briefing book, include:
Prioritize the implementation of Land Use 2025, with a particular emphasis on using incentives to steer future growth to vibrant and efficient urban, town and village centers.
Reform our sprawl-inducing property tax system through consideration of such options as regional property tax-sharing, establishment of a statewide property tax, and/or transferring some of the burden for education funding from the local property tax to an existing state tax such as the income or sales tax.
Maintain the pace of urban revitalization by retaining a strong state historic tax credit and expanding the state’s brownfields redevelopment assistance.
Upgrade the public transit system and encourage transit-oriented development to provide greater transportation choices, reduce traffic, improve air quality and conserve energy.
Establish a more rational statewide system for managing our water supply.
Pass the proposed $50 million affordable housing bond issue to provide more well-designed housing in appropriate locations for people of modest means, many of whom are being pushed out of state by unaffordable rents and starter-home prices.
Activate Rhode Island’s Housing and Conservation Trust Fund to coordinate efforts to expand housing opportunities and preserve open space.
Despite Rhode Island’s checkered political history, we at Grow Smart Rhode Island see a state with tremendous untapped potential. To turn this potential into reality, we encourage all candidates and elected officials to recognize and play to our place-based strengths.
Scott Wolf is the executive director of Grow Smart Rhode Island. The Grow Smart Candidates’ Briefing Book may be accessed online at www.growsmartri.org.
