Land Use Committee

The Land Use Committee has open meetings and welcomes all interested people to attend. We appreciate ideas, input and volunteer time from the community. The meetings are scheduled as needed and are posted at the Town Hall and on the calendar on the town's website.

The purpose of the Land Use Committee is to protect and acquire sufficient land for the common interest and welfare of its citizens. This responsibility includes protection of environmentally sensitive land; preservation of historic sites; provision of land for future anticipated community needs such as schools and recreation; assurance of affordable housing availability; and preservation of selected parcels of open space. The fulfillment of these responsibilities requires the acquisition of land in a variety of forms, location  and degrees of ownership.

There is a five member committee with one representative from each of the following boards: the Board of Selectmen, the Conservation Commission, the Planning Board and two members-at-large appointed by the Selectmen. Each member serves a three year term.

For the Land use Committee projects, please see the Overview section below.

Interested in Affordable Solar Power for Your Home or Business?

Dear Mendon friends,

Mendon was selected to be a Solarize Massachusetts town on April 12, 2012! If you are interested in learning about installing a solar PV system for your home or business, but need more information, guidance and more cost effective options, now is the time, if you are a resident or own a business in Mendon. If you are considering a solar PV system, we need to hear from you. This requires NO obligation on your part.  

 Thursday, May 10th at 7:30 pm at the Miscoe Hill School Solarize 101 Meeting      

There will be an informational Solarize 101 meeting on Thursday, May 10th at 7:30 pm at the Miscoe Hill School for Mendon residents and business owners to learn more about the program. Contact Carolyn Barthel at the phone number or email address below for more information.

Mendon, as a state-qualified Green Community, has a terrific opportunity to take advantage of a state energy-saving program called Solarize Massachusetts, in partnership with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER).  The program provides towns a way to install solar PV systems in bulk for both residences and businesses, thereby keeping the costs down and the permitting process more streamlined.

Last year the state agency, Mass CEC, conducted a very successful pilot program in four towns, and this year the agency has selected 17 more towns to expand the pilot program and Mendon is in this small select group of towns.  There will upcoming meetings that will explain the program in more detail and give you an opportunity to have your questions answered. If you want to continue the process you will have the opportunity to receive a free evaluation on your home or business to determine if your location is suitable and to understand what the cost and payback time for your property would be.

There will be two ways to participate: you as the property owner can purchase the solar PV system or have a lease/power purchase agreement have it owned by a third-party which gives you a guaranteed reduced electrical rate for a set number of years.  

The advantages of installing solar PV systems are: reducing or eliminating electricity costs, improving home values, and helping the environment.  The advantages of participating in Solarize Massachusetts are: lowering installation costs, streamlining permitting, and utilizing the current generous federal and state credits, state rebates and SRECs (Solar Renewable Energy Certificates).

Interested?  If so, please reply to me, and include your name, street address (and mailing address, if different), phone number and email address.   This information will only be used to contact you about the program and will not be shared with anyone else. If you know of others who would be interested, please let them know about the program. The more people who participate, the cheaper the solar PV systems will be for everyone! Expressing an interest does not commit you to anything.  

To learn more about the Solarize Massachusetts program, see www.SolarizeMass.com or call 617.315.9306 or tweet #SolarizeMass.  To learn more about the meeting, contact Carolyn Barthel, Mendon Community Solar Coach, at 508.473.3305 or SolarizeMendon@gmail.com.

Regards,

Carolyn Barthel                             

Mendon Solar Coach                     

SolarizeMendon@gmail.com                                       

508.473.3305

Anne Mazar, Chair 

Mendon Land Use Committee 

Mark Reil 

Mendon Green Communities Program Manager

Overview  

The Land Use Committee compiled Mendon’s 2006-2013 Open Space and Recreation Plan. This document is used as guidance for the Land Use Committee projects and makes the town eligible for many of the state grants. Complete copies can be found at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall and at the Taft Public Library and this website. The text of the 2006-2013 Open Space and Recreation Plan without the charts, maps and appendixes can be seen on the Resources section of this page. 

The Land Use Committee submitted an application for Mendon to be designated a Green Community. On July 2011, Mendon was selected and designated a Green Community! Mendon has received $145,925 in grant funding for FY12 for energy conservation and renewable energy projects. The Green Communities program has used no town funds, only the generous time of volunteers who worked to make Mendon a Green Community. As long as the Town of Mendon continues to reduce their energy consumption through energy efficiency measures, Mendon will be able to take advantage of the program for five years. The energy efficiency and renewable energy programs will save the town money, as well as reduce greenhouse gases. See the link on this page to find out more about the Green Communities Program. 

The Selectmen have appointed the Mendon Land Use Committee to serve in the capacity of the Energy Committee for the purposes of working on the Green Community program. Below are the five criteria that must be met to be a Green Community. 

1. As‐of‐Right Siting for Renewable Energy Facilities (R&D, Manufacturing and/or Generation)
2. Expedited Permitting for Renewable Energy Facilities (R&D, Manufacturing and/or Generation)
3. Energy Use Baseline Inventory and Reduction Plan 
4. Fuel Efficient Vehicles Purchasing Policy
5. Energy Efficient Building Code/Stretch Code Adoption  

Since Mendon is a Green Community, Mendon was eligible to apply to the Solarize Massachusetts program. The Land Use Committee submitted an application and was selected. See details on the Solar page or above on this page.

Another useful report is the 2007 Mendon Heritage Landscape Report which identifies landscapes and buildings in Mendon that have been identified as areas to preserved to maintain Mendon's history and rural landscape. The report also includes a "tool kit" to meet the goals in the report. 

The Land Use Committee also lead the Founders' Park Preservation and Enhancement Project. Through the project funds were raised to landscape and refurbish the park to highlight the historical significance of the park. Founder’s Park is a historic one-acre park located on the corner of Route 16 and Main Street in Mendon. The Park was the site of the first three Mendon meetinghouses, the first one being built in 1668. It is also the site where 163 Mendon farmers and workers mustered in 1775 and then marched off to Lexington responding to the call from Benjamin Dawes and Paul Revere that the British were coming. The Land Use Committee has a fund (money from donations and grants, no town funds) to maintain the park's landscape.

Committee Members