Frequently Asked Questions about Hadley Neighbors for Sensible Development

Who are Hadley Neighbors for Sensible Development (HNSD)?

The Hadley Neighbors are a group of Hadley residents who came together in the summer of 2003 to work together on planning and development issues. We are volunteers who want to be involved in the democratic process in Hadley because we care about our town. Most of us are homeowners. We have a wide range of views on many issues, but we all share concerns over the impact of large-scale development in Hadley.

Are the Hadley Neighbors anti-development?

We recognize that development can bring jobs, homes, and tax revenue to Hadley. But there are many different types of development. Houses, agricultural land, offices, and large and small retail bring different costs and benefits to towns. A large number of studies have been done on the economic impacts of development. These studies suggest houses may cost towns more in services such as schools, water, sewer, road maintenance, and public safety (police, fire, and ambulance) than they produce in taxes. Agricultural land tends to cost towns little or nothing in services, so farmland can be the kind of land use that is most "in the black" for towns. Commercial development is somewhere in between. The net benefit of commercial development tends to vary with the type of development. Offices, industry, fast food restaurants, small businesses, and "big-boxes" all differ in the costs they bring to towns. In a few studies, big boxes and fast-food restaurants actually cost towns more in services than they bring in taxes. We don’t know exactly what the costs of services to different types of land uses are in Hadley, because we have never done a comprehensive economic impact study. We think Hadley needs to do such a study. We think developers who want to build large developments or subdivisions in our town should have to contribute to funding a comprehensive economic impact study.

Where does HNSD get its funding?

We are volunteers who have no financial interest in development decisions made in Hadley. We receive limited support from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund, as well as our volunteer members.

Are the Hadley Neighbors only interested in what happens on Russell Street? What about the rest of the town?

The survey that was conducted in 2002 by the Long-Range Planning Committee showed that most residents want to protect Hadley's valuable farmland from development, preserve the quiet rural nature of Hadley's residential neighborhoods, and honor Hadley's history. We face a number of challenges as demand for housing and commercial space in Hadley grows. We hope that the long-range planning process will allow residents and town officials to work together to make sure that Hadley remains the unique and beautiful town it is now.