Local Comprehensive Plan Update

Local Comprehensive Plan

A Local Comprehensive Plan (LCP), often called a Master Plan, tells a community what it looks like today and where it wants to go in the future. It includes: assessments of existing resources and issues, projections of future conditions and needs, and consideration of collective goals and desires. We are updating the current plan, approved in 2000, and expect the new plan to be finalized by spring 2020.

The Local Comprehensive Planning (LCP) process begins with establishing our vision and goals for where we want Provincetown to be in the next 10 to 20 years.

The Local Comprehensive Plan Committee will take the lead in developing the LCP for Provincetown, placing the required elements within a sustainable framework. There are available positions on the Committee for volunteers. For more information, email Thaddeus Soule, Town Planner.

Incorporating Sustainability

The local Planning Board decided that "sustainability" is the over-arching theme that links together the individual sections of the our new Local Comprehensive Plan. The LCP Committee will take the lead in developing an LCP for Provincetown that looks at all three aspects of sustainability – the environment, the economy, and social equity.

What is a Local Comprehensive Plan?

The LCP is a policy guide and provides a framework for the physical development of the town. While the emphasis is often on buildings and infrastructure, it does not ignore the important social, natural resource, and economic values of the community. It is a method of translating the community's values into specific actions. An LCP covers about 10-20 years, periodic reviews will keep it current with the changing needs of the community.

The Provincetown LCP will be developed using other municipal planning documents and initiatives. It is NOT a zoning by-law, a subdivision regulation, a budget, a capital improvement program, or other regulatory document. It IS meant to be the framework for the preparation or revision of these documents.

Required Elements of a Local Comprehensive Plan

The LCP must contain the following sections, according to the requirements set out by Massachusetts General Laws for a comprehensive (master) plan:

  • Community Vision and Goals and Policies Statements
  • Land Use and Development
  • Housing
  • Economic Development
  • Open Space and Recreation
  • Natural, Cultural and Historic Resources
  • Circulation and Transportation Systems
  • Public Services and Facilities
  • Implementation Plan

Some additional elements the plan might include are:

  • Smart Growth Management
  • Energy
  • Education
  • Food Systems
  • Healthy Communities
  • Municipal Departments/Board Relationships

Building on Past Plans & Studies

The LCP is closely integrated with other municipal documents and initiatives and recently developed plans including: