The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission has received a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Technical Assistance Grant for Smart Growth Implementation Assistance.  The selection was part of a highly competitive national grant round, with only five recipients chosen from fifty-six applications representing 28 states. Smart Growth expertise is also being provided to the project by the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center/Rhode Island Sea Grant Program. The AIPC will be using the on-site technical assistance to work with each of the Aquidneck Island municipalities to incorporate the recommendations of the West Side Master Plan, which was released in fall 2005.

The Aquidneck Island community has a large stake in the Master Plan, having had unprecedented participation in the development of the Plan’s goals. These include maximizing open space, providing public access to the shore, minimizing sprawl, providing adequate housing, promoting environmentally sensitive development, offering flexible and efficient transportation networks, and providing for a diversified economic base for the entire Island.

The EPA is currently working with the AIPC to:

1. Review the Master Plan land use vision and strategies
   
2. Review the three local comprehensive plans and ordinances
3. Assess the feasibility for achieving the Master Plan strategies based on existing public infrastructure on the West Side    
4. Utilize successful examples for application to best land use practices, model ordinances and zoning
5. Propose specific recommendations for the three municipal councils to implement the land use elements of the Master Plan

The AIPC is dedicating significant resources to the implementation of the West Side Master Plan. The Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant from U.S. EPA provides a unique opportunity to enhance the success of this multi-year project. 

ABOUT SMART GROWTH

The EPA web site: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth describes Smart Growth as development that serves the economy, the community, and the environment. It changes the terms of the development debate away from the traditional growth/no growth question to "how and where should new development be accommodated?"

Smart Growth answers these questions by simultaneously achieving:

• Healthy communities -- that provide families with a clean environment. Smart growth balances development and environmental protection -- accommodating growth while preserving open space and critical habitat, reusing land, and protecting water supplies and air quality.
  
  
• Economic development and jobs -- that create business opportunities and improve local tax base; that provide neighborhood services and amenities; and that create economically competitive communities.

• Strong neighborhoods -- which provide a range of housing options giving people the opportunity to chose housing that best suits them. It maintains and enhances the value of existing neighborhoods and creates a sense of community
  
  
• Transportation choices -- that give people the option to walk, ride a bike, take transit, or drive.