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October 24, 2022

Drawing economic benefit from cleaner rivers a ‘delicate balance’

Phil Birge-Liberman
By Michael Puffer
This story is part of HBJ's 2022 Economic Development Series. Read more stories here.
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Environmental experts say developments taking advantage of Connecticut’s improved river quality come with risks and rewards.

David Anderson, land campaigns manager with Save the Sound, said development can eat into critical buffer zones that protect water quality.

It can also create large impervious surfaces, meaning water rushes into rivers without first soaking into the ground. That can sweep in harmful pollutants and cause erosion.

“With development along rivers, it’s really a balance of making sure you are providing public access, and at the same time protecting it,” Anderson said. “We wouldn’t want to see development along an entire river corridor. We would want riparian buffers and smaller development opportunities. It’s a delicate balance and I think every project needs to be scrutinized to make sure the resource is, one, protected and number two, to make sure the public can enjoy that resource.”

Save the Sound advocates for redevelopment in areas that don’t require new roads or infrastructure, or where new construction is kept tightly packed, with the majority of property maintained as open space.

Alicea Charamut, executive director of Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, said it is possible to responsibly develop near rivers, but all too often stormwater management is treated “as an afterthought.”

Runoff management has become more important in an era where climate change has already put rivers under pressure from extreme swings in water levels, Charamut said.

“As long as we can keep that focus, we can have river-friendly development along the river with the understanding that some things have to be different than they were in the past to ensure we can adapt to climate change and ensure we are not damaging the resource,” Charamut said.

Rivers Alliance advocates for open public access to rivers as well as water-quality protections.

Rivers Alliance Board President Dwight H. Merriam, an attorney and land-use planner, said development and environmental protection can be symbiotic.

Dwight Merriam

Unfortunately, Merriam said, the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection doesn’t have enough staff to adequately plan or monitor water quality and developments that can impact it.

Phil Birge-Liberman, associate professor of urban and community studies at UConn’s Hartford campus, said there are other risks to be mitigated.

Middletown’s plan to create parks, new housing and commercial opportunities on 220 acres of derelict industrial land could bring an influx of wealthier visitors, creating a risk of changing the culture and costs of the area, Birge-Liberman said.

That could increase prices and bring competition that drives out “mom and pop” shops, he said.

A bigger risk is that approved development plans are later modified to shrink the amount of parkland and green space, as happened in Boston’s harbor-front redevelopment, Birge-Liberman said.

“Places where parks were supposed to be an important part, you see them go from multiple acres to a half-acre,” Birge-Liberman said. “I’d hate to see the green space get squeezed out because you want to have more commercial space here.”

Middletown’s master development plan hinges on parks and public spaces. The document repeatedly stresses the need to consult with, and cater to, the city’s existing population.

Birge-Liberman also acknowledges potential benefits.

New York’s success with the High Line linear park redevelopment of a former freight rail line has grabbed the attention of other municipalities, sparking similar efforts, he said.

“What attracts members of the creative class to a particular place is having entertainment as part of a city, but also having access to green space,” Birge-Liberman said. “There is this push to have this environmental amenity of green space coupled with commercial activity that would ideally improve the value of the local economy.”

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