Housing on the South Shore: Water & Wastewater Capacity

Forum recap: Our housing initiative calls for 44,000 units of new housing in order for our economy to grow 1%. One of the most common barriers for more housing in the suburbs is water/wastewater issues. We were joined by experts from Smart Growth America, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Town of Scituate for a discussion on challenges in suburban build-out due to current limits on infrastructure capacity. During the session, panelist highlighted: 

• Water & Wastewater capacity’s importance for economic development (in our region and others)
• Importance of planning & resource allocation when availability is scarce (focus on concentration of development – more mixed use properties that answer residential and commercial/retail needs/wants)
• Opportunities for regional or multi-municipal collaboration & coordination. 

Check out the video recording and speaker presentations below. 

Speakers:
Christopher Zimmerman, Vice President, Economic Development, Smart Growth America - Download presentation. 
Martin Pillsbury, Director of Environmental Planning, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Betsy Cowan Neptune, Chief of Economic Development, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) - Download presentation.
James Boudreau, Town Administrator, Town of Scituate

​​This work would not be possible without our Funders – thank you to Rockland Trust Bank, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Cape Cod Lumber, Fireking Baking Company & Sullivan Tire for your continued support of our Housing Initiative. ​​We welcome the opportunity to speak with you further about our 2030 work and ways to get involved and engaged. Please contact Courtney Bjorgaard at cbjorgaard@southshorechamber.org to learn more. ​