Planning Board to Review Final Draft of Newbury's Master Plan Update (2023-2035)

On November 8, 2023, at 7:00 p.m., the Newbury Planning Board will be meeting with the Town's master plan consultant, Emily Innes, for a final review of the Master Plan Update (2023-2035) and consideration of the Plan's adoption. 

The final draft of Newbury's Master Plan Update (2023-2035) is available for viewing here.

This update of the Town’s Master Plan has been prepared by Town staff, Board members, and volunteers who live or work in Newbury, with assistance from the Merrimac Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) and two consulting firms, Community Opportunities Group, Inc. (COG), and Innes Associates Ltd.

In 2015, the Planning Board initiated the process of updating the Town’s 2006 Master Plan. A Master Plan Steering Committee, comprised of Newbury residents, members of other Boards and Commissions, and Town employees, was appointed and empowered with the authority to oversee the development of the plan. With COG, the Town’s original Master Plan consultant, the Committee gathered valuable input from Town employees, elected officials, residents and other volunteers through Master Plan Steering Committee meetings, public forums, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and surveys.

The consultants, together with the Master Plan Committee, then organized that information, described the concerns raised by residents, and identified the goals and strategies to remedy those concerns.

At the end of 2021, the Town contracted with Innes Associates, Ltd., to update the census-based data into the draft of the plan, incorporate the results of other planning processes that have taken place over the past couple of years, such as the Municipal Vulnerability Plan, and assemble all the draft elements into the final plan. As part of this effort, over the Spring and Summer of 2023, the public was invited to review the final draft plan and provide input in multiple ways. All residents were invited to a Community Meeting which was held at the Newbury Town Library on June 29, 2023. The presentation slides and meeting video are available for viewing. In addition, a public survey was released and open for participation from May to late June. Survey results were shared with the Planning Board and the public at the Planning Board meeting on July 19, 2023. This document, Survey Results and Public Comments, also includes all of the public input received during the comment period up through July 14, 2023. (Public comments begin on page 35 of these slides.) During late summer, the Town's consultant and staff reviewed and fact-checked all comments, making edits as needed to the final document. This memo summarizes all changes made in September 2023.

The Planning Board expresses sincere thanks to everyone who has participated in the development of the 2023 Master Plan Update.

If you have questions, please call or email Martha Taylor at 978-465-0862 x312, planningboard@townofnewbury.org, or Kristen Grubbs, 978-465-0862 x336, assist.planner@townofnewbury.org