Comprehensive Planning

Regional Planning Projects

Applying a regional lens to local challenges, grounded in coordination and providing additional services to assist member municipalities

SRPEDD's Comprehensive Planning Department engages in planning initiatives that span our 27 member towns, as well as inter-municipal sub-regions.

SRPEDD's reason for being stems from the basic acknowledgement that some societal challenges either must be, or benefit greatly in efficiency from being, considered on a regional basis, at a scale that simultaneously considers more than one individual municipality, but at a smaller scale than the entire state. SRPEDD engages in regional projects that fill this necessary niche in three main ways:

We interpret and gain experience in programs and funding sources created at the state or federal level, and apply these for multiple individual municipalities throughout the region;
We plan across municipal lines to address a problem or topic area that spans local boundaries, but does not necessarily include the entire region; and
We step in to provide services throughout the region to fill specialized gaps when local capacity does not allow municipal staff time or resources to adequately address an issue common to many towns.

Applying Planning Processes Regionally

Priority Development and Priority Preservation Area Identification

As part of the SouthCoast Rail planning project, SRPEDD brought data and planning expertise to each of its member communities so that local residents could identify concrete areas in town to prioritize for development and others to prioritize for preservation. These areas inform many subsequent community planning processes.

Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Planning

SRPEDD staff are trained providers for the state's MVP planning program. SRPEDD's environmental program convened its partners at The Nature Conservancy, Manomet, and Mass Audubon to jointly facilitate the MVP Planning process in a number of municipalities throughout the region.

Regional Agricultural Planning

Working with agricultural partners in the region such as SEMAP, SRPEDD developed a method for tracking agricultural lands within our region, so that we have an ongoing basic understanding of the production side of our vital regional food system.

Complete Streets Planning

Complete streets are roadways that safely and comfortably accommodate all users, regardless of age and ability or mode of transportation. SRPEDD implements the state's Complete Streets program throughout the region.

Watershed Planning

When water moves through our landscape, it does not recognize the boundary of one town or one state to the next, and often requires a regional planning approach. SRPEDD assists in the preparation of watershed management plans that bring together multiple towns to coordinate management approaches.

The Blue Economy Economic Development Initiative

SRPEDD is involved in the SouthCoast Development Partnership's Blue Economy initiative to strengthen the maritime science and technology industries of the region.

Regional Housing Services Office

Beginning in early 2019, SRPEDD began exploring the feasibility of establishing a Regional Housing Services Office (RHSO). An RHSO is a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional effort that provides for the proactive management and monitoring of affordable housing in communities.

Homeland Security Exercise Design and Facilitation

SRPEDD helps local agencies coordinate internal and external responses to real world situations or disasters. These situations can include active shooter responses, severe weather events, or large-scale medical emergencies.

MEPA Review

SRPEDD's environmental program receives, reviews, and comments upon local development applications that require review under the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA), so that projects take all feasible measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate damage to the environment. In this way, we supplement the efforts of local and state agencies in directly protecting the region's environment.