South County Sustainable Economy Project

1
South County Sustainable Economy Project

• Washington County Regional Planning Council
• Grow Smart Rhode Island

2
Project Context

• Natural resource and open space context
• Regional economy and trends
• Local issues and priorities
• Land use and zoning reviews
• Meetings with local task forces, designated by
  Town Councils

3
Economic Development and Local Tax Base

• Residential tax burdens are increasing
• Population growth
• Changing expectations and standards
• Residential vs. nonresidential growth rates
• Residential vs. nonresidential valuation changes
• Towns want economic development to help pay for
  municipal services

4
Land Use Mix and Tax Burdens
5
How South County Is Growing

• Both residential and nonresidential growth are
  faster in South County than in the State
• Residential growth is faster than nonresidential

6
Housing Growth
7
Seasonal Housing
8
Tax Base Shifts
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
The Regional Economy

• Total economy is estimated at 5 billion
• More than 90 of total regional economy is
  concentrated in four towns (North Kingstown,
  South Kingstown, Narragansett, Westerly)
• Strong seasonal economy based on tourism and
  natural resources
• Health care and education are important sectors

12
Seasonal Economy
13
Compared to Rhode Island

• High household incomes
• Low unemployment rates
• High employment growth rates
• High retail sales per capita
• 1980 1990 2000
• 9 11 16
• High growth in earnings
• Small average firm size

14
Issues and Challenges

• Preserving Regional Character
• Town and Village Centers
• Open Space
• Natural Areas (Protected and Unprotected)
• Farms
• Infrastructure
• Water and Sewer
• Location of Development in Relation to the
  Environment
• Open Space Resources, Regional Character, and
  Tourism
• Regional Water Resources and Habitat Corridors
• Affordable Housing Availability

15
Recommendations

• Locations for Economic Development
• Types of Economic Development
• Regional Coordination and Leadership

16
Economic Development Locations

• Town Centers and Villages
• Highway Commercial Areas
• I-95 Interchanges
• Route 4 / Route 1 Interchanges
• Commercial Strips
• Office and Industrial Centers
• University Campuses

17
South County Economic Centers
18
Natural Resources Priorities
19
Cultural Resources
20
Composite Resource Priorities
21
Charlestown
22
South Kingstown Narragansett
23
Wakefield-Narragansett
24
Place-Oriented Development Policies

• Encourage compact development in existing centers
• Infrastructure investments to support compact
  development and walkability
• Design standards and design review to protect
  investments and strengthen local character
• Planning for new centers and for revitalization
  of existing centers
• Link investments, rezoning and permitting of
  highway-oriented development to smart growth
  principles and context-sensitive design

25
Economic Opportunity Areas

• Heritage and Nature-Based Tourism and Recreation
• University of Rhode Island
• Health Care
• Quonset Point / Davisville
• Support for Agriculture/Forestry/Fisheries

26
Coordination and LeadershipPlanning Advocacy

• Regional Planning
• Regional economic development planning
• Cooperative planning with University
• Regional transportation planning
• Advocacy
• Statewide property tax reform
• Infrastructure funding

27
Coordination and LeadershipTechnical Assistance
Support

• Coordinate local efforts to obtain funding for
  technical assistance and resources
• Development of area plans
• Updating of zoning regulations
• Development of design controls and standards
• Development and maintenance of GIS
• Promote innovative regional land use and fiscal
  mechanisms
• Transfer of Development Rights
• Regional Tax Base Sharing