There is a direct link between the value of a community s character and the length of time its residents will want to live there. This is not a tax on outsiders. A surcharge on the property tax is a tax on all local property owners. Prop. 2 overrides should be saved for paying for escalating municipal capital and operating costs. Funds from the Community Preservation Act can save farmland prevent sprawl protect water supplies Revitalizing downtowns through historic restoration can reduce pressure to build on greenfields and avoid sprawl.
New development can spur financial havoc in a community.
Almost no residential development can pay for the services it requires. Tax increases to service new development can drive less affluent people from their homes. Rather than remaining nuclei of blight, old mills and closed deteriorating buildings in downtowns can be restored to become magnets for productive activities. By helping to preserve and maximize a community s resources and stabilize its local economy, this Act assists a community by attracting and keeping business. Community character depends on affordable housing for a range of households including municipal employees and the next generation.