Community Master Plans

Acushnet Master Plan

Welcome to the Acushnet Master Plan Project Page!

Scroll down to explore background information related to creating a vision for Acushnet's future - be sure to check back regularly for new information and online and in-person events!

Welcome to the Acushnet Master Plan!

Acushnet is updating three major planning documents, all of which will guide future policy making planning in the Town. The Master Plan, Open Space and Recreation Plan, and Water Management Plan are local policy guides designed to help towns make planning decisions for many years. A newcomer should be able to readany of these documents and understand a given community’s values and priorities at that time. A lot has changed since Acushnet's Master Plan and Open Space and Recreation were last updated and your input will be the essential ingredient – combined with current, accurate data – that will build each plan!

What is a Master Plan?

A Master Plan - also known as a 'comprehensive' plan or 'community master plan' can be many things:
A narrative that tells the story of Acushnet's history and the experience of living in town today.
A technical document that considers population, market, and land use changes to chart where we are now a course for tomorrow.
A policy document that lays out a consensus vision for Acushnet and articulates the strategies and actions that will help the town meet its goals.

In short, it is a long-range plan that helps guide the town, builds trust by making transparent decisions, and bases those decisions on accurate information and public input. For more details, please see FAQ or visit our Community Master Plan Page for more information.

What are the Acushnet Open Space and Recreation Plan & Water Management Plan?

Alongside the Master Plan, Acushnet is also updating its Open Space and Recreation (OSRP) and Water Resource Management Plan (WMP). An OSRP is a strategic document used to plan for the future of conservation and recreation resources. Click through the Storymap below to learn more about the OSRP and the feedback SRPEDD has received so far. The WMP informs water management practices in the Town.

You can provide your input on the Town's OSRP and WMP by filling out the survey below.

Contacts

Victoria Alfaro
Town Planner, Town of Acushnet

Lizeth Gonzalez
Director of Economic Development, SRPEDD

Chris Welch
Principal Comprehensive Planner, SRPEDD

Follow Acushnet on Facebook

Project Roles

Town of Acushnet

Acushnet is working with its respective regional planning agency - the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) to develop its next community Master Plan. Learn more on the Town of Acushnet Planning Department Page.

SRPEDD

SRPEDD is a public, non-profit agency that serves 27 communities in southeastern MA. SRPEDD's role is to facilitate a proactive and transparent civic engagement process that gathers and integrates your views on community needs and aspirations. Learn more on our What We Do page or check to see current and past community master plans.

Project Timeline

Click to View the Master Plan's Draft Goals and Strategies!

Poster outlining goals to preserve open space, manage growth, and improve access to parks and natural areas in Acushnet.

Open Space and Recreation

Poster detailing goals to modernize zoning bylaws for economic growth and maintain Acushnet’s rural character.

Land Use

Housing

Poster describing goals to revitalize Main Street and promote mixed-use and industrial growth.

Economic Development

Poster outlining goals to preserve historic properties and promote Acushnet’s cultural and scenic assets.

Natural and Cultural Resources

Poster listing goals to improve municipal services, upgrade infrastructure, and modernize town buildings.

Services and Facilities

Poster highlighting goals to enhance transportation, safety, and expand bike, pedestrian, and transit options.

Transportation and Circulation

Poster explaining goals to manage water and sewer systems, address flooding, and protect environmental quality.

Water Management

Join the Discussion

Upcoming Events

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

January Discovery Workshop

Explore the boards from the Discovery Master Plan Open House hosted on January 29th!

Click Below to Explore the Deep Dives

Land Use Housing, and Economic Development Deep Dive

Transportation and Services and Facilities Deep Dive

Water Resource Management Deep Dive

OSRP Deep Dive

Cultural Resources Deep Dive

Stay Connected

Mailing List

Click the icon to sign up for our mailing list and get notified of all exciting opportunities that contribute to the project.

Let's Get Social

Get updates directly on your social media feed. Click to follow the Town of Acushnet on Facebook.

Map it!

Use the Crowdsource Map to pinpoint your ideas!

Interactive Map Series

Data

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Acushnet creating a Master Plan?

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all cities and towns create and update a Master Plan (or Comprehensive Plan) as needed. Master Plans frequently result in bylaw changes, participation in new state or federal programs, coordinated grant applications and infrastructure investments, updated and more efficient administration, and increased volunteerism, service, and stewardship in a community. More importantly, the Master Planning process is a meaningful opportunity for you to come together as a community, to reassess your goals and priorities, and to set a course to achieve those goals over the next several years.

Why Plan for Open Space & Recreation?

Open Space and Recreation areas are some of our most loved, utilized, and iconic community spaces. Maybe it's the town pool where we learned to swim, the wooded trail where we got to know a new tree, or the playground where we spent family time, these places hold a special place in our personal and community fabrics.

Additionally, there is growing appreciation for the value of key specialized open spaces, such as wetlands and forests, in combating climate change impacts like extreme heat, flooding, and water quality challenges.

Why Create a Water Resource Management Plan?

Developing the Acushnet Water Resource Management Plan is part of the Acushnet Master Plan process. Through the WMP, Acushnet can accommodate growth, preserve community character, and enhance residents’ quality of life while also meeting these goals:

QUALITY: improving water quality in water bodies as well as drinking water by continuing to adopt best practices and innovations in delivering the public water supply, wastewater management, and stormwater management.
QUANTITY: providing an adequate supply of clean drinking water for the long term demands of the community while also ensuring groundwater recharge, healthy stream and river flows, and proper natural drainage in the right places.
ECOLOGICAL HEALTH: restoring optimal conditions in the Buzzards Bay watershed (biodiversity, intact habitats, healthy fisheries).
ENJOYMENT: ensuring equitable access to a variety of recreational activities in Acushnet’s water bodies while avoiding adverse ecological impacts.

Who should get involved?

The Master Plan will be directly informed and created by the input we receive from town residents, officials, seniors, parents, business owners, and even students! The project team listens to everyone’s ideas, identifies areas of consensus, and provides a road map to make your community goals real. Your ideas – combined with current information – will directly influence this plan and the future of your town.

Why should I get involved

How can I get involved?

The best way to get involved with the Master Plan is to interact with the project team, explore data and past plans, and participate in in-person or online meetings and online exercises to provide your honest feedback. Please visit the “Stay Connected” section of the Master Plan website to find links to all our engagement options.

Have an engagement idea or event you believe the project team should be at? Email Maria Jones, Public Engagement and Communications Planner, directly at mjones@srpedd.org!

What’s in a Master Plan?

What is the final document like?

That depends. Some towns like a long plan with a ton of data – like a textbook! Others like a concise, easy-to-understand, graphically engaging document – like a magazine! The project team will make sure that your Master Plan includes sufficient, necessary, but not excessive information on which you can base your decisions ... but we will probably lean towards making sure the plan is concise and approachable … something the average person wouldn’t mind reading at the end of a long workday.

You can see some recent examples here.

How do you make sure the Plan leads to real change? Don’t plans just sit on the shelf for 10 years until it’s time to update them again?

Well, that’s up to you! Master Plans – good Master Plans – should create their own community momentum, optimism, consensus, and excitement. Ideally, when the planning is done, there will be a group of you – let’s call you “Local Champions” – who believe in the work and want to make it real. For its part, the final Master Plan will read like a recipe or an instruction manual:

It will include Goals for each Master Plan chapter. We'll describe the main reasons that each Goal is in the Plan; this “Big Picture” usually includes data and quotes from residents and workshop participants that explain why the Goal is important to you as a community.
- In turn, each Goal will have Strategies and list the main steps needed to achieve them. To make the Plan easy to use, each Strategy presents:
  - Who’s in charge – we call these the “Responsible Parties." How to measure success and progress – we call these “Performance Measures.”
  - Where to look for advice – we call these “Example Success Stories” and “Potential Partnerships.” Other items from the Plan that might help – we call these “Complementary Actions.”

All these “How To” items appear again, summarized in charts, tables, or other diagrams and graphics, in the Plan’s Implementation chapter.

Illustrated infographic explaining a Master Plan: defines community vision and guides planning decisions.

Document Library

HELPFUL LINKS

Zoning Map

Elements of a Master Plan

According to Massachusetts General Law, a Master Plan has nine required "elements" (or "chapters"). We post drafts of each element here as they are created, and welcome comments on any section.

The Statement of Goals and Policies sets out Acushnet's vision for the future. It presents community values, goals, and land use objectives that will meet these goals.
The Land Use Element describes Acushnet's current and future land use patterns, including proposed locations for various types of activity, such as residences, businesses, and recreation, and the preferred relative intensity of development across the town’s diverse built landscapes.
The Housing Element creates a plan to meet the town's housing needs, which are identified using demographic and market information.
The Economic Development Element identifies strategies for growing the town's economy by building upon local strengths and bringing new and compatible opportunities to Acushnet.
The Natural and Cultural Resources Element is an opportunity for Acushnet to highlight and take stock of its natural, cultural, and historic resources.
The Open Space and Recreation Element describes existing open space and recreational facilities in town and aligns plans for future recreation and open space with project population needs.
The Services and Facilities Element identifies existing and anticipated needs for public infrastructure and services.
The Circulation and Transportation Element provides an inventory of existing and proposed transportation infrastructure and services across all modes including private cars, public transit, and bicycle and pedestrian routes.
The Implementation section provides a blueprint and schedule for making the master plan a reality.

PAST PLANS

2020s

2010s

2000s

Aerial view of a suburban neighborhood with spacious yards, houses, and several backyard swimming pools.

Photos and Videos

Aerial view of a large school complex with parking lots and athletic fields surrounded by trees.

erial view of a pond with green vegetation and surrounding forested landscape.

Aerial view of open green fields and wooded wetlands under a cloudy sky.

Aerial view of a single-story building with parking lot, trees, and open green fields nearby.

Aerial view of an industrial area with warehouses, parked trucks, and open fields under a partly cloudy sky.

Aerial view of a solar farm with large arrays of solar panels surrounded by trees.

Aerial view of a wide solar panel installation bordered by open land and forest.

Aerial view of a school complex with a large parking lot and athletic fields surrounded by trees.

Aerial view of athletic fields with people playing sports next to a school, surrounded by forest.

Aerial view of an industrial gravel facility with large conveyor structures and storage piles.

Aerial view of a small-town center with municipal buildings, parking areas, and tree-lined streets.

Aerial view of a fire station with solar panels on the roof and fire trucks parked outside.

Aerial view of a red brick church with a tower and parking lot, surrounded by trees and nearby streets.

Aerial view of a small-town center with residential homes, tree-lined streets, and a municipal building near an intersection.

Aerial view of a residential area with a small fire station and nearby homes surrounded by trees.

Aerial view of a large cemetery with rows of headstones and surrounding wooded areas.

Aerial view of a winding river with a bridge crossing, parking area, and forested surroundings.

Aerial view of a small dock extending into a calm lake surrounded by trees and a sandy shore.