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Month: September 2025

Gardner’s First Master Plan in 50 Years

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Since Spring 2025, Barrett Planning Group and partner BSC Group have worked with the City of Gardner to update the City’s master plan. Supported by a Community Planning Grant from the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), Gardner’s new master plan will be its first in nearly 50 years – the last was completed in 1975!

Known as the “Chair City” for its prominence in the furniture industry from the late nineteenth century through the later twentieth century, Gardner has been an enjoyable community to work with. Residents value their city and the strong sense of community that connects them. The city has abundant natural resources, anchored by Crystal Lake in the center, Dunn State Park, and numerous open space parcels that cover nearly a third of the city’s land area. Historic resources abound from all periods of the community’s development, giving distinct character to the city. A bustling downtown and numerous social service organizations support and provide for residents.

Before embarking on this master plan, the City was already looking to the future and is positioned well with several key tools and features at its disposal. CDBG funds have supported redevelopment in the downtown area, with the City spearheading the Rear Main project. City officials hope parking and public real improvements will entice a private developer to tackle some of the larger parcels nearby. Commercial spaces cluster along Timpany Boulevard, redeveloped and improved in recent years. And facilities such as Heywood Hospital, an independent community hospital, serve not only Gardner residents but those in the surrounding communities.

Barrett Planning Group and BSC Group have been out in the community for the past several months. Public engagement efforts have included a coffee hour for downtown business owners and social service organizations; a community visioning workshop; and tabling at some of the beloved community events, the Gardner Public Library’s summer reading kickoff and National Night Out. These in-person events have been supported by an online survey and Social Pinpoint project website, which allows for asynchronous participation from residents and community members.

The planning team is currently working with the City to home in on the key issues affecting Gardner now and over the next 20 years and is looking ahead to develop goals, recommendations, and an action plan before wrapping up our work this winter.

Webinar: Developing a Strong Local Preservation Program

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Webinar Topic: Developing a Strong Local Preservation Program

Date: September 29, 2025

Speaker: Jennifer Doherty (Preservation Planner, Barrett Planning Group)

Many aspects of community planning incorporate or are enhanced by historic preservation – economic development, tourism, zoning, housing, open space protection, and more. But local historic preservation efforts are often driven by a small group of volunteers rather than fully incorporated into the larger planning processes of the community. Local preservationists are often stuck being reactive to “preservation emergencies,” with little planning and forethought to how they can protect a community’s important historic and archaeological resources. In this webinar, Barrett Planning Group’s Preservation Planner, Jenn Doherty, will review the basics of preservation planning and provide actionable steps for developing a strong local preservation program. 

👉 Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/AdRuHSPoVTo

Stay connected: Sign up on our contact page to receive updates on future webinars and events: https://barrettplanningllc.com/contact/

Strength in Numbers: Regional Solutions for Affordable Housing

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Barrett Planning Group takes great pride assisting cities and towns with all aspects of affordable housing. Our team recognizes that a municipality’s role in this important work extends beyond land use planning, zoning, and permitting; ensuring the continued affordability of units created through such efforts is equally critical. As such, we’re pleased to announce two important regional housing services projects to assist communities with these responsibilities: the launch of the Barnstable County Shared Regional Housing Services (BCSRHS) program, which follows a successful two-year pilot led by BPG Principal Planner Alexis Lanzillotta; and our work with the Metro North Regional Housing Services Office (MNRHSO) providing affordable housing and monitoring consultant services to seven member communities. We are excited to collaborate with Liz Rust, Director of the Regional Housing Services Office (RHSO), on both projects, as well as the regional nonprofit organization Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) for our engagement with Barnstable County. 

Many affordable housing responsibilities fall on municipalities, putting enormous strain on local staff capacity. Due to complex regulatory requirements tied to affordable housing programs and the range of unique or project-specific circumstances that can occur, overseeing the local supply of deed-restricted affordable housing often requires significant staff time and technical expertise. “Having a solid understanding of these pieces is especially important for communities pursuing local housing initiatives such as inclusionary zoning or locally funded housing programs intended to create units eligible for the state’s Subsidized Housing Inventory,” says Alexis.

Barrett Planning Group is proud to support Barnstable County in advancing its Shared Regional Housing Services program. In keeping with the Cape’s strong history of regional collaboration, the County supported the launch of a shared housing services pilot program in 2023 through an allocation of its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Our team was selected to develop and implement the two-year pilot program, during which time we created a countywide Affordable Housing Database for Town staff to track both affordable developments and over 7,100 Subsidized Housing Inventory units across Barnstable County. As Alisa Zimmerman from Barrett Planning Group explains, “Building the countywide database was an enormous undertaking, and one that is still ongoing. We spent countless hours combing through town registries, property by property, to track down affordable units. It was painstaking, but essential work—without a complete and accurate inventory, towns can’t protect their housing stock or effectively plan for the future.” Additional work included developing a Program Implementation Plan; building a regional stakeholder contact list; researching and reporting on a range of topics including short term rentals, housing market data, affordable housing trusts across the region; drafting model documents and templates; holding regular office hours with municipal staff; and providing each community with direct technical assistance tailored to their individual needs.

Following this successful pilot, Barnstable County will continue to administer the program with funding commitments from nearly all of the towns. Our team was selected to lead this next phase, and we are thrilled to team up with Liz Rust (Director, Regional Housing Services Office) and renowned regional housing nonprofit Housing Assistance Corporation. In addition to offering local and regional technical assistance, resources, and training, our team will be assisting communities monitor projects for which they are directly responsible (such as Local Initiative Projects) and providing general SHI oversight.

For our engagement with the Metro North Regional Housing Services Office (MNRHSO) — led by the Town of Reading — we are again teaming up with Liz Rust. We will assist the MNRHO’s seven member communities by updating and maintaining a reliable, shared housing inventory; providing monitoring services; and offering general technical assistance to aid in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Shared regional housing service programs are more than just an efficiency measure—they are essential for ensuring that every community, no matter its size, has the tools and expertise to preserve affordability, support residents, and plan for future housing needs in a collaborative manner. By working together, municipalities can take on challenges that would be overwhelming alone, while building stronger, more resilient housing systems for the region. Shared service programming can offer communities the capacity, consistency, and expertise needed to preserve affordability, strengthen housing production, and better serve residents.

Barnstable’s Local Comprehensive Plan Update

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

We love it when our client partnerships evolve and grow, and our continued collaboration with the Town of Barnstable is a great example. We are proud to have partnered with Barnstable and our colleagues at Horsley Witten Group and Dodson & Flinker to support the Town’s 2025 Local Comprehensive Plan (LCP) process. This three-year, community-driven planning effort was guided by the Local Comprehensive Planning Committee (LCPC), a dedicated group of resident volunteers appointed to shape Barnstable’s future.

Barrett Planning Group played an important role in facilitating the planning process by leading an extensive research process to develop the LCP’s core components, making public presentations, and working closely with Town staff. We helped to design and implement an effective, well-received public engagement strategy that produced over 2,000 comments from residents, businesses, and stakeholders. Together with the Department of Planning and Development and the LCPC, we supported the creation of an effective planning framework grounded in local values and driven by community input.

The result: a well-crafted vision sensitive to Barnstable’s needs and aspirations and strategies to address resilience, housing needs, land use, infrastructure, and protection of coastal and inland waters while preserving the character of Barnstable’s unique villages. The new LCP outlines clear goals, actions, and performance measures that will help guide the Town’s future development, resource allocation, and policy decisions.

We are honored to have contributed to a plan that supports a prosperous future for Barnstable. Approved by the LCPC in May 2025, the Barnstable Town Council unanimously approved the plan in early September 2025. As a final step, the LCP will proceed to the Cape Cod Commission for Certification. 

Does your community need a trusted, experienced partner for a comprehensive plan or master plan project? Please let us know! We encourage you to contact jill@barrettplanningllc.com.