Housing Production Plan

A Housing Production Plan (HPP) is a community's proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing. Newbury is working to update its 5-year plan for the 2024-2028 time period, working collaboratively with planners from the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) to collect data, understand local housing conditions and needs, and develop strategies that will meet the needs of residents today and in the future. The planning for the Newbury Housing Production Plan Update began in the fall of 2023. A draft of Newbury's 2024-2028 HPP will be available for public comment in the Spring of 2024, and will be submitted to the State for approval in the Summer of 2024.

On October 12, 2023, Newbury residents came together on Zoom to discuss regional housing needs and goals. Planner Lauren Keisling from the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission gave a presentation entitled: "Planning for the Future of Housing in the Merrimack Valley," describing the process underway for communities to update their five-year housing production plans. Her presentation slides included a thorough report and analysis on on the current state of demographic and housing data across the region.

Zoom break-out rooms of Newbury residents discussed housing data specific to Newbury, facilitated by MVPC Executive Director Jerrard Whitten and town planning staff. Slides displaying Newbury housing demographics and data can be viewed here. A discussion about Newbury's Vision for the Future of Housing was begun at this October 12, 2023, meeting. 

On January 29th, 2024, all residents of Newbury were invited to join staff from the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission and the Newbury Planning Department for another Housing discussion. The January 29th Community Forum was an opportunity for residents to learn more about Newbury’s housing needs, and to participate in a discussion about strategies Newbury can take to achieve broader "housing choice" and more options for affordable housing in our community. Click here to view a video of the presentation and forum.

Read more here to understand all that goes into a Housing Production Plan. 

The currently active Newbury 2018-2023 HPP is here and the regional plan is here: Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) Regional Housing Plan 2018-2023

The "Missing Middle" and "Living Little"

Coined in 2010, the term "missing middle" describes house-scale buildings with multiple units in walkable neighborhoods. These building types, such as duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and courtyard buildings, provide diverse housing options and support locally-serving retail and public transportation options. They are called “missing” because they have typically been illegal to build since the mid-1940s and “Middle” because they sit in the middle of a spectrum between detached single-family homes and mid-rise to high-rise apartment buildings, in terms of form and scale, as well as number of units and often, affordability. Missing middle housing provides a greater mix of housing types to meet differing income and generational needs, and will be an important part of the housing work ahead for Newbury. Learn more about the Missing Middle here.

There are many types of homes that would provide more housing options for smaller households while maintaining compatibility with the small-town character of suburban and rural communities in Greater Boston. Living Little explores different types of small housing that would be well-suited for suburban communities throughout Greater Boston, where larger homes are more common. Smaller housing can provide options for a variety of smaller households—from millennials just starting out to baby boomers looking to downsize—helping towns meet need, retain household diversity, and take a “little” step towards addressing the region’s housing crisis. Read more about "Living Little" here.

Newbury Community Housing 2017 Project

   Newbury Community Housing Needs Presentation (Housing Workshop #1, 6/21/2017)

   Newbury Community Housing Strategies Presentation (Housing Workshop #2, 10/18/2017)

Questions about Housing initiatives in Newbury? Interested in getting involved? Contact the Newbury Planning Department at (978) 465-0862 X312 or email planningboard@townofnewbury.org