NY smart growth policy curbs sprawl

Reduces costs, taxes

Matt Dietrichson, Jan 11, 12.

A New York State policy encourages smart-growth and limits sprawl, according to Democrat And Chronicle:

While recent events don’t amount to a full-scale reversal of the building trend that started after World War II, they do suggest that developers and elected officials are taking a more long-range approach. While many suburban municipalities are revising local zoning rules and making provisions for land preservation, smart-growth projects are also becoming eligible for government grants and tax incentives.

In 2010, the state adopted the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act, which requires such strategies as using or maintaining existing infrastructure, advancing projects in municipal centers, promoting sustainability, preserving open space and fostering mixed-use projects.

The act was an effort to eliminate government incentives that perpetuate sprawl and urban disinvestment. It requires all state agencies to take into account smart-growth principles during the planning of projects that use state money.

Sprawl increases taxes by increasing the cost of providing services to a larger area of developed land, said Sam Hoyt, regional president for the Empire State Development Corp. MORE