Sewer Density Bonus

The Sewer Density Bonus that exists in Monroe allows developers to put nearly double the amount of homes on a parcel of property if they provide sewer service, regardless of whether or not they will also be hooked up to a municiple water source.

While an individual home-owner may initially prefer sewers over septic systems, it is important to understand the implications of large scale development projects building  many new homes and taking advantage of the Sewer Density Bonus.

For example, a property zoned RR 1.0 (Rural Residential) has a lot size of 40,000 sq.ft. without sewers, but is reduced to 25,000 sq.ft. with sewers. In other words, a developer would be allowed to put 38 homes on the same property where he could once put 20.

So you see, the Sewer Density Bonus will allow the developer to dramatically increase the number of homes he can build, AUTOMATICALLY, because he can hook up to sewers.  This "automatic" bonus is given without prior consideration of the environmental impacts of these additional houses.  Because of the Sewer Density Bonus, it becomes the developers "right" to build this increased number of homes.  Now when the developer presents his plan to our Planning Board, they are faced with nearly double the amount of homes to consider. 

What's so bad about that?  By allowing the developer to dramatically increase the total amount of homes he builds this has the potential to dramatically increase the amount of water demand from the area ground water supply.  If a house is receiving their water from a municiple water source, the impacts are lessened, but in many cases in our town, these houses are being built with independent wells.  This means they draw water from the ground supply in the earth, but with sewers instead of septics, they don't replenish the area ground water supply at all.  The sewers take the water away and the local aquifers lose that recharge.  Septic systems, on the other hand, do replenish the ground water supply by collecting, dispersing and purifying the water as it goes back into the aquifers.  Without this replenishment, we simply take, but don't give back.  This is a dangerous proposition when you consider that a large percentage of existing residents in Monroe rely on individual well systems for their drinking water.  If we don't recharge the groundwater supply with septic systems, and we double the amount of homes built that draw from the groundwater supply, we will quickly drop, or lessen, the water table.  This means less water for us all and the possibility of area wells going dry.

What is our current Town Board planning to do about it?

There has been alot of talk lately about eliminating the Sewer Density Bonus.  In September 2003 the Town Board stated its intention to review the Town's Master Plan to accomplish this, because on the advise of legal counsel, they believe the town's Sewer Density Bonus to be intrinsically linked to the language of the Master Plan.   While The Preservation Collective does not agree with this interpretation, we do support the Master Plan review process and any progress that can be made to eliminate the Sewer Density Bonus from the Monroe zoning laws as quickly as possible. 

You can support this effort by attending the Master Plan review meetings, and while public comment will most likely not be a part of this process, your attendance shows the review committee how serious this issue is to the community.  As always, letters to the editor of our local papers, and our town officials, are always beneficial in keeping the public (and the government) aware of your views and concerns.