Joanna Murphy | Oppose SB564

Undermines safe, effective local planning by creating emergency-access risks and encouraging poorly connected high-density development. Conflicts with existing statutes allowing towns to prevent premature or inadequately serviced development. Allowing utilities in open-space buffers could disrupt conservation easements and weaken long-standing planning tools such as open-space and cluster development, ultimately imposing a one-size-fits-all, universal mandate that ignores local Conditions. Bars municipalities from limiting dead-end road length or the number of lots on those roads if they meet state fire code and requires municipalities to permit utilities to be placed in subdivision open-space or buffer areas, which runs counter to conservation or open-space subdivisions and cluster developments, a planning tool used by over 170 municipalities.