"The state has decided to provide communities with a look at howit would be if everything was built to the zoning maximum," DavidBegelfur, head of the National Association of Industrial and OfficeProperties, tells GlobeSt.com. "But it's not a realistic picture.It becomes a sticker shock and the downside is communities couldclose their doors to development for fear of onslaught."

The state environmental office has insisted that the studies aremeant to help cities and towns plan for the future but manydevelopers were surprised when the study projected 67 million sf ofcommercial space being built on Cape Cod. "That is structurally andvirtually impossible," contends Begelfur. "If the studies are goingto be used as planning tools they need some historic informationand some perspective."

The state has set aside $3 million dollars to conduct thesestudies and many of the smaller communities where the study isbeing done could not afford to do it on their own. Another stateinitiative is also providing $30,000 for each community to puttogether a more extensive growth plan.