Just as Metro Boston’s current system of land use regulation allows case-by-case decision to yield negative results in total, so too does the current Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) environmental impact reviews of certain projects requiring state agency action.  Current reviews are limited to an individual project even if others are underway or planned nearby.  This creates a situation in which cumulative impacts are underestimated, where the last developer in will more likely have the greatest apparent impact and the fewest mitigation options, and where municipalities adjacent to the host community experience impacts that cannot be addressed.  Instead, the MEPA Office should take advantage of proximate projects to designate areas of critical planning concern and coordinate a multi-developer and multi-municipality impact review process in which cumulative impacts can be examined and mitigated more effectively and equitably.

Consistent comprehensive local plans also provide opportunity for a streamlined MEPA permitting process where the proposed project(s) are also consistent with those plans.  Impact analysis would have been conducted during the planning process, essentially completing part of the MEPA process in advance and providing for faster permitting that does not compromise thorough evaluation.  This would also inherently consider cumulative and multi-parcel impacts, and set the stage for a system of impact fees, offering more predictability and equity to developers.

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