City of Methuen Master Plan

Natural Resources, Open Space, and Recreation
useful they should not limit the desires of residents to improve their quality of life and they don’t always
apply to the unique circumstances of any particular community. Adequate recreation facilities are
important for good health and enjoyment, but it is also important to recognize the quality of the city’s
facilities. Good maintenance and management are crucial.
In order to preserve open space the City should identify, prioritize, and purchase
FUTURE
development rights from owners of key agricultural and forested areas. The City should
take advantage of the right of first refusal granted to the City on retiring Chapter 61A
and 61 B properties. In order to fund the purchase of these rights and properties the City should consider
adopting the Community Preservation Act, which would give the City the resources to acquire priority open
space as this land becomes available. Currently the City has no funding mechanism to prevent key areas of
open space from being purchased and built upon.
PLANS/NEEDS
The City should also consider adopting an Open Space Residential Design (OSRD) bylaw as outlined in
the State of Massachusetts’s Smart Growth Toolkit. OSRD provides one of many tools that can help
mitigate the impacts of urban sprawl. Focusing on open space preservation the technique is a form of
subdivision design that maximizes resource protection through targeted resource set-asides.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The Methuen Open Space and Recreation Plan provides an excellent basis for developing the Open
Space element of the Master Plan. It clearly articulates goals and objectives that will help shape the
future of the city. It acknowledges the importance of improving access to and knowledge of the city’s
natural resources and open space lands.
Methuen has permanently protected 2.4% (345 acres) of its total area. The city owns an additional 871
acres (6.1% of its total area). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts owns an additional 64 acres. In
addition, the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and the Methuen Conservation Commission
regulations effectively protect wetlands and a small buffer area around them. Providing additional
recreation facilities and the future of Chapter 61 lands are the major open space issues that the city will
face in coming years.
Ultimately, the environmental health of Methuen will depend on both local decisions and the landscape
of surrounding towns. Each new development will reduce the remaining patches of natural vegetation
and the area available for wildlife. Corridors that currently connect natural areas may disappear, further
reducing the viability and population stability of both plants and animals. These impacts are cumulative
and long-term. The city’s ecosystems change over time and many impacts may be delayed and not fully
realized until years or decades from now. The best strategies for maintaining the city’s natural character
and environmental health will be:
• To protect rare landscape elements, such as wetlands, vernal pools, riparian zones (the areas
along streams, rivers, and wetlands), state designated “priority habitats,” and large forested
tracts.
• To retain large contiguous or connected areas that provide habitat for a diversity of wildlife.
Guidelines published by the Environmental Law Institute 31 call for at least 20% of a town to be
protected natural habitat. They also recommend 140 acres (55 hectares) as a minimum
31
Environmental Law Institute, 2003, Conservation Thresholds for Land Use Planners, Washington,
DC. www.eli.org.
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