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Politics & Government

New Town Master Plan on Deck

The town's current plan for residential and commercial development is decades old.

Town Planner Peter Kane is preparing a proposal for a two-year Master Plan development to replace the town's badly outdated current Master Plan for residential and commercial development.

He projected that the new Master Plan would cost $100,000 to $125,000.

Kane said the town is supposed to update its Master Plan every five years. But Swampscott has not updated its Master Plan since 1971.

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With an updated Master Plan, prepared by a professional land-use planning firm, the town could update it internally every five years without having to go to the expense of hiring an outside firm, Kane said.

The advantage of having a current Master Plan is that the town's boards (i.e., the Planning Board, Zoning Board) will have a clear idea of what proposed new developments should be approved. In addition, developers will know what projects are likely to be approved by the town, he said. 

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The proposal for a new Master Plan would have to be approved by the Capital Improvements Committee and the Finance Committee before it is presented to the Town Meeting for authorization and funding.

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