The Newburyport Planning Board is a nine-member board of volunteers appointed for five-year terms by the Mayor. Members must be residents of the City. Membership is based on experience or interest in the field of planning and zoning and whenever possible includes: an architect or landscape architect, an engineer, a realtor or developer, an affordable housing specialist, an environmentalist and an attorney. Members normally meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm at the Newburyport City Hall. Five members must be present to open the meeting.

The Planning Board considers land subdivision and zoning proposals; Approval Not Required (ANR) applications that generally consist of proposed lot line changes, Site Plan Review applications, and proposed changes to elements of the City's master plan. In its deliberation the Board actively supports smart growth objectives and the goals of the City’s Master Plan. The Board holds public hearings, as required, on these applications and makes recommendations through the Mayor's Office to the City Council for its consideration and legislative action. Some members of the Board, working through the Planning Office, lead and/or participate on various committees related to city planning. Recent examples include the Strategic Land Use Plan, Waterfront Strategic Plan, and the CPA Application Committee. In addition, one member of the Planning Board represents the City on the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.

Proposed Zoning Changes

In early June, the Planning Board submitted amendments related to Sections II and VI of the Newburyport Zoning Ordinance for consideration by the City Council. The Council referred the matter to its Planning and Development Committee and the Planning Board for a joint public hearing on June 16th and then recommended the amendment below for adoption.

• Planning Board Report on Zoning Amendment
• Proposed Zoning Amendmends to Section II: Definitions and Section VI: Dimensional Controls

Projects currently before the Planning Board

Dr. Douglas and Debra Wine - 223 High Street. Public hearing continued to September 15, 2010.

• Open Space Residential Development application
• Definitive Subdivision application
• Project plans

Links:

MA Planning Association (MAPA)

Citizens Planning and Training Collaborative (CPTC)

Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC)

Smart Growth Toolkit

Planetizen