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Author: alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

The Autumn Agenda: Upcoming Fall Conferences

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

If you were reading our newsletter at this time last year, you know what’s coming next…Fall Conference season! While it feels like we just unpacked our conference bags (and sorted through last year’s swag!) we are once again packing up and hitting the road to learn, share, and collaborate with our partners across New England. They say, “when it rains, it pours”, and that is true for our calendar this October. The conference schedule is packed, and our staff is tag-teaming the region to cover them all. Hopefully, the skies won’t literally pour on us while we’re traveling, but we’re ready for an exciting month either way!

October 2-3: CNU New England Conference – Boston, Massachusetts

Tony Duong kicks off our October line-up at the CNU New England Conference in Boston. The New England Chapter of CNU (Congress for the New Urbanism) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities through progressive urban design. Conference attendees will explore how local towns and cities can strategically plan their futures in the evolving era of “The New Localism”. Day two of the conference consists of a morning transect walk from Faneuil Hall to the Seaport. This interactive tour will unpack how shifts in density, land use, transportation, and public space reflect Boston’s urban evolution. 

October 8-9: SNEAPA – Foxwoods Resort Casino, Connecticut

The Southern New England American Planning Association (SNEAPA) Conference will be held at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut this year. Barrett Planning Group is excited to present on two different panel sessions!

Ever wonder what’s lurking in your city’s zoning code until a developer or an angry neighbor finds it first? Judi Barrett will be on the panel for  “Zones, Groans, and Unknowns: A deep dive into curious discoveries in zoning audits.” Attendees will learn how to run an “in-house” audit, spot hidden ordinance skeletons, and walk away with a practical checklist and handouts. This is sure to be a fun and interactive session!

Meanwhile, Jill Slankas will be moderating, and Brenna Trollinger will be presenting on the panel for “Planning for Local Food System Resilience: Tools, Partnerships, and Lessons Learned”. The panel will explore how municipal and regional partners can collaborate to strengthen local food systems and prepare for future disruptions.

October 21-23: NNECAPA – Manchester, New Hampshire

The Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association (NNECAPA) 2026 Planning Conference will be held in Manchester, New Hampshire. A highlight of this Conference includes six different Mobile Tours offered to registered attendees. Those who are registered can select up to two local tours to attend, ranging from an Arts Walk through Downtown Manchester, exploring the transformation of Rockingham Park Racetrack into a vibrant mixed-use district, or stepping inside “The Factory on Willow”, a reimagined former mill building, among others. 

We’ll be packing our bags full of swag for this one, as we are hosting an exhibit booth. We love catching up with familiar faces and meeting new colleagues, so please stop by and say hello to Judi Barrett, Jenn Doherty, and Laurel Mire. Whether you want to discuss your community’s latest zoning hurdles, explore innovative housing solutions, or simply pick up some fun conference giveaways, our team is eager to connect with you!

October 28-29: NHMA – Manchester, New Hampshire

As we wrap up October, Judi Barrett and Jenn Doherty are heading back to Manchester for the New Hampshire Municipal Association’s (NHMA) 85th Annual Conference. Judi will be sharing her zoning experience on the panel for “Regulatory Reform: Opportunities and Challenges”. This premier yearly event equips municipal leaders with the cutting- edge knowledge, resources, and practical tools they need to advance their communities and excel in daily operations.  We are proud to be a part of this year’s event and will also be hosting an exhibit booth throughout the conference with fun conference giveaways. Whether you are looking to solve specific local challenges or want to talk strategy for the coming year, make sure to stop by and say hello. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Upcoming November Webinar: Planning for Local Food System Resilience

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Building on our work on the Plymouth County Resilient Local Food System Action Plan and our food system session at the Southern New England American Planning Association (SNEAPA) Conference on October 8, Barrett Planning Group will be hosting a webinar on November 4 to dive deeper into “Planning for Local Food System Resilience: Tools, Partnerships, and Lessons Learned.”

Panelists include representatives from Old Colony Planning Council, Marion Institute, Plymouth County Agricultural Extension, farmers and local food system consultants, as well as Jill Slankas and Brenna Trollinger from Barrett Planning Group. The panel will further explore how municipal and regional partners can collaborate to strengthen local food systems and prepare for future disruptions. Whether you’re just beginning to explore food systems planning or already have efforts underway, you’ll leave with ideas, examples, and approaches that can be adapted to communities across southern New England.

Stay tuned for registration information as November 4th approaches!

Food Is Love: Beyond the Resilient Food System Action Plan

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Written by Jill Slankas, with contributions from Brenna Trollinger.

A dear friend once told me something I’ve never forgotten: food is love.

It’s why we bring meals to a family after the loss of a loved one, drop off dinner when someone is sick, or gather around a table to celebrate life’s biggest milestones. Food nourishes us, but it also connects us, comforts us, and builds community.

That perspective took on a whole new meaning while working on the Resilient Food System Action Plan for the Plymouth County Area. Food is foundational to our cultures, economies, environments, and health. The Action Plan we helped create is a piece of a much larger conversation about food, where it comes from, who can access it, and how it shapes our communities. 

The Action Plan is a 10-year roadmap for the region, organized around six goals: 

  • Protect and strengthen working lands and waters 
  • Strengthen the viability of farms, fisheries, and food businesses
  • Build food infrastructure and supply chain capacity
  • Improve food access, food security, and community well-being
  • Foster education, workforce development, and food system awareness
  • Strengthen regional coordination, inclusion, and accountability

The plan was a collaboration with the Old Colony Planning Council, Plymouth County, and the Marion Institute, and was funded by a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant.

During this planning process, I learned how deeply we rely on our local food systems, and how important it is to keep them strong. However, many challenges create vulnerability in our local food system, including rising rates of food insecurity, higher food costs, a changing climate, and declining farm viability. According to the Greater Boston Food Bank, New England Feeding New England, and the USDA Census of Agriculture: 

  • In 2025, 40% of households in Plymouth County were food insecure
  • In 2022, only 2.7% of food spending in Massachusetts went to local food, even though the state spends more on food overall than any other New England state 
  • Plymouth County accounts for 12% of total farmland in Massachusetts, but only 2% of the farmland in Plymouth County is permanently  protected
  • In 2022, 54% of farms in Plymouth County operated at a loss

Taken together, these numbers describe a system under strain, but they are only half of the picture. There is an incredible amount of work already underway in Plymouth County and elsewhere to address these pressures. In Cohasset, Holly Hill Farm was one of 72 organizations to receive a 2026 Food Security Infrastructure Grant for deer fencing and truck refrigeration. In Abington, the Town used MVP 2.0 funding to build a new “Growing Greener” community garden. The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD), Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC), and Wildlands Trust have launched a regional initiative to permanently protect vulnerable farmlands in southeastern Massachusetts. 

These are just a few of the ongoing projects that will continue to strengthen and support the region’s food system. What struck me most, though, wasn’t any single project. It was the people behind the work. Through conversations with farmers, food pantries, municipal leaders, regional organizations, and community members across 31 cities and towns, I came to appreciate that a resilient food system is about so much more than agriculture or economics. It’s about ensuring everyone has access to healthy food, supporting the people who grow and harvest it, and strengthening the connections that help communities thrive. 

In a conversation with a cranberry grower, they said that this work is not easy, but it is important and we do it because we love it. Farming is a way of life, it is a cultural heritage, and once it is gone, you can’t get it back. We talked about how cranberry growing connects them to the land and the heritage of cranberry farming. That is what my friend meant. Food is love, and a resilient food system is how a region makes sure that love can actually reach people. 

I’m grateful to everyone who shared their time and perspectives throughout this process and proud to have played a role in creating a roadmap for a stronger, more resilient future for the region. A plan is only as good as what happens next, and we are not finished talking about this one. We’ll be sharing the planning process and the lessons learned during a panel discussion at SNEAPA on October 8th, and again in our upcoming quarterly webinar on November 4th.

If you are working on food systems in your own community, we would love to hear from you. For more information and to read the full Action Plan, please visit the Old Colony Planning Council’s website at  https://oldcolonyplanning.org/foodresiliency/.

Dennis Housing Production Plan Update

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Our update of the Dennis Housing Production Plan (HPP) is currently underway. The Town of Dennis has a history of supporting the creation of affordable housing and is taking steps to continue making housing affordable for Dennis residents. The local affordable housing bylaw itself has resulted in the approval of 58 developments totaling over 400 units, 164 of which are deed-restricted affordable units. 

Since the previous 2021 HPP,  twelve developments have been approved under this local bylaw. The Town also adopted the Seasonal Communities Designation earlier this year and has repeatedly proposed amendments to its affordable housing bylaw to promote more affordable housing. The Dennis Community Preservation Committee additionally funded a rental assistance program that offers direct subsidies to low-income families, highlighting other community efforts to support housing. 

This HPP update seeks to continue and support these Town-led initiatives and incorporate community input in recommendations for creating affordable housing opportunities for the next five years. 

Over the past few months, the project team facilitated several public outreach activities to involve Dennis community members in shaping the plan: stakeholder interviews, tabling events, a survey, and in-person community meetings. Residents identified priorities to include, but not limited to, support for year-round housing, housing opportunities for all income levels, and helping families stay in their homes. However, the HPP must identify ways to overcome limitations related to infrastructure and the preservation of natural resources. 

The project team drafted the Housing Needs Assessment and Development Constraints sections for the HPP. The full draft, including draft Affordable Housing Goals and Implementation Strategies, is anticipated to be available and posted for public comments in mid-October. 

Drafts and project materials can be viewed at the Town Planning Department’s HPP webpage: https://www.town.dennis.ma.us/1225/Housing-Production-Plan-Update-2026

Webinar: Zones, Groans, and Unknowns: A Deep Dive into Odd, Head-Scratching Discoveries in Zoning Audits

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Date: July 14, 2026

Panelists: Robert P. Mitchell, FAICP; Emily Innes, AICP, LEED AP ND, Innes Land Strategies Group; Jeff Davis, AICP NCI, Horsley Witten Group; and Judi Barrett, Barrett Planning Group. 

Barrett Planning Group held a webinar on best and worst practices in drafting zoning ordinances and bylaws. All four panelists are seasoned zoning experts and bring their experiences with zoning audits (zoning diagnostics) to this session, along with practical advice for city and town planners and other planning consultants. This webinar was approved for 1.25 CMs. 

Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/LbQ-Xml6ONA?si=cIGW6hr4tn-Wv02n

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

Wenham Local Historic District Design Guidelines

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Barrett Planning Group is pleased to be working with the Town of Wenham Historic District Commission (WHDC) to update the WHDC’s local historic district design guidelines. Using the Massachusetts Historic Districts Act, GL c. 40C, Wenham Town Meeting established the town’s local historic district in 1972. It encompasses about 100 properties along Main Street running between the town’s borders with Beverly and Hamilton. The district is almost exclusively residential with a handful of religious, commercial, and municipal properties.

Enacted by the legislature in 1960, at the beginning of the modern preservation movement, Massachusetts’ Historic Districts Act provides limited guidance on how local historic district commissions are to review projects within the historic district. General Law C. 40C, §7, “Factors to be considered by the commission,” provides some basic guardrails: commissions should consider “the historic and architectural value and significance of the site, building or structure, the general design, arrangement, texture, material and color of the features involved, and the relation of such features to similar features of buildings and structures in the surrounding area.” The “Definitions” section provides some more information, such as what “altered” and “exterior architectural feature” mean in the context of the legislation. But the Historic Districts Act does not refer to more detailed guidelines, such as the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, that have now become best preservation practices.

The WHDC adopted some basic design guidelines, outlining the application process and providing some further detail on how the WHDC reviews specific items. But here again, detail is lacking, and the guidelines are not illustrated with drawings or pictures depicting either good or bad preservation practices. This makes the review process difficult for both applicants and WHDC members. Applicants have a limited idea ahead of time of what might or might not be acceptable to the WHDC, and the WHDC must start anew with each application to determine if a proposed change is appropriate or not for the district. Additionally, the guidelines do not incorporate current concerns such as green technologies and alternative materials. 

Barrett Planning Group Preservation Planner Jenn Doherty will be working closely with the WHDC over the next few months to prepare new design guidelines for the commission. The goal is to produce guidelines that are practical and usable for both applicants and the WHDC, incorporating current preservation best practices while providing the WHDC with an evaluation framework for the variety of projects and applications that might come before them.

For Conway, NH, A Zoning Rewrite to Implement the Master Plan

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Barrett Planning Group’s New Hampshire practice has grown again, this time as lead consultant for the Town of Conway’s comprehensive zoning update. Although ski country visitors may think North Conway is a town, it is actually one of Conway’s five distinct villages – and every part of Conway has a “feel” that zoning needs to recognize. That idea is front-and-center in Conway’s recently completed master plan, Conway Forward (2024), prepared by SE Group. We’re grateful to have SE Group on our team for planning and community engagement support. 

The Conway Planning Board has asked us to tackle several tasks:

  • A zoning audit (a technical and policy-level review of the existing ordinance);
  • A “clean,” readable reorganization that is consistent, clear, and easy to use;
  • Public education and community engagement; and
  • A final version that includes land use policy recommendations from Conway Forward.

Judi Barrett and Jenn Doherty met with the Planning Board and Town Planner Ryan O’Connor in April 2026 for an update on the zoning audit. To explain some of the issues covered in the audit report, we provided drafts that show how portions of Conway’s existing code could be rewritten and simplified to be clear, internally consistent, and easier to navigate. Our work was well-received, and the Planning Board gave us a “green light” to move forward with a complete recodification. The Board plans to present the recodified zoning ordinance at next year’s (2027) town meeting, to be followed by substantive land use policy changes and possibly Zoning Map amendments in 2028.

In May 2026, we supported the Planning Board at a public meeting to explain the zoning revision project and overall project schedule. We also provided display boards and interactive activities for community members. One activity, a visual preferences survey, was designed to help us understand what community members consider appropriate (or not!) in Conway’s villages and along the main highway through town, Route 16. Many of the responses reinforce what we imagined and what the master plan consultants observed as well. In many cases, the types of development residents say they prefer are largely prohibited in Conway’s existing zoning – a situation we find in so many of our client communities.

For our work with Conway, we are hosting a project website on Social Point to provide timely updates, engage and interact with community members, and support the Planning Board throughout this effort: https://bpg.mysocialpinpoint.com/conway-forward-zoning. We are excited to work with Conway on this project! Helping communities implement their master plans through zoning reform, modernizing land development regulations, and building local government capacity are all cornerstones of our work at Barrett Planning Group. Let us know how we can help you, too!

Webinars: Barnstable County Shared Regional Housing Services Program

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Barrett Planning Group, as Program Consultant for Barnstable County’s Shared Regional Housing Services Program (BCSRHS), recently hosted two virtual webinars focused on affordable housing tools. We appreciated the opportunity to share this information and look forward to hosting future webinars as part of the Shared Regional Housing Services program!

Webinar #1: Inclusionary Zoning on Cape Cod

Date: Wednesday May 27, 2026

Speakers: Chloe Schaefer (Chief Planner, Cape Cod Commission), Alexis Lanzillotta (Principal Planner, Barrett Planning Group), and Judi Barrett (President, Barrett Planning Group).

This webinar covers inclusionary zoning and other local regulatory tools that encourage the creation of affordable housing. Topics include:

  • An overview of the Cape Cod Regional Housing Strategy, which includes inclusionary zoning among its zoning best practices for affordable housing;
  • Examples of inclusionary housing strategies from across the region; and
  • Considerations for adopting, implementing, and refining a local inclusionary housing bylaw.

This webinar program briefly explores the relationship between local zoning and the state’s Subsidizing Housing Inventory, which is the primary focus of our second webinar – see Webinar #2 details below! 

👉 Watch the recording here: CLICK HERE

Webinar #2: Understanding Local Action Units (LAU)

Date: Wednesday June 3, 2026

Speakers: Alexis Lanzillotta (Principal Planner, Barrett Planning Group), and Elizabeth Rust (Director of the Concord-based Regional Housing Services Office serving ten communities in the MetroWest region).

This program focuses on Local Action Units (LAU), a component of the state’s Local Initiative Program (LIP) that enables communities to include affordable housing created without a comprehensive permit on the Subsidized Housing Inventory. Topics covered:

  • Connection to SHI: Overview of requirements for inclusion on the Chapter 40B Subsidizing Housing Inventory, the state’s list of low- or moderate-income housing units by community.
  • Project Types: Examples of local actions that can create LAUs, e.g. zoning incentives, special permit conditions, donation of Town-owned land, and local funds. 
  • Creating LAUs: Coordinating local milestones with the LAU application and approval process.
  • Monitoring LAUs: Roles and responsibilities for ongoing compliance.

👉 Watch the recording here: CLICK HERE

Building Climate and Community Resilience in Mattapoisett, Mendon, and Westborough Through MVP 2.0 Planning

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) 2.0 Planning Grant program, administered by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, helps communities revisit and refine their climate resilience priorities. Building on the foundation established through the original MVP planning process, MVP 2.0 brings together municipal staff, community members, and equity-focused partners to identify how social vulnerabilities, such as food and housing insecurity, contribute to a community’s resilience during climate impacts. Barrett Planning Group is pleased to support three communities that received MVP 2.0 grants during this grant cycle.

Working alongside equity partners, municipal staff, community liaisons, and local stakeholders, our team is supporting the Towns of Mattapoisett, Mendon, and Westborough as they plan for the impacts of climate change and identify practical projects that address local needs and concerns. We are pleased to be collaborating with Food System Consultant Lydia Sisson and look forward to helping these communities strengthen local partnerships, gather community input, and turn ideas into actions that will provide lasting benefits for residents.

Each of these communities faces a unique set of climate challenges. While coastal Mattapoisett navigates sea level rise and storm surge, inland towns like Mendon and Westborough contend with extreme precipitation, heat waves, and winter storms. Despite these geographic differences, their vulnerabilities speak to needs for resilient infrastructure, healthy ecosystems, and safe neighborhoods. Our team is well-versed in the land use and environmental considerations necessary to support these towns and address climate resilience, community safety, and environmental justice. 

Having previously partnered with cities and towns on resilience, housing, and food systems planning, we understand the unique challenges and priorities facing municipalities today. We look forward to collaborating with planning and public works departments and community members within the framework established for MVP 2.0. Our experience and skills will allow us to help Mattapoisett, Mendon, Westborough, and other MVP 2.0 recipients ensure that climate planning and social resilience account for and include everyone in the community.  We look forward to supporting our clients and visiting each community this summer as these projects kick off. 

Webinar: What Watershed Associations Wish Municipalities Knew💧

Posted on by alisa@barrettplanningllc.com

Webinar Topic: What Watershed Associations Wish Municipalities Knew

Date: May 7, 2026

Speakers: Jill Slankas (Principal Planner, Barrett Planning Group), Samantha Woods (North and South Rivers Watershed Association – NSRWA), Patrick Herron (Mystic River Watershed Association -MyRWA), and Dave McGlinchy (Massachusetts Rivers Alliance).

Together, the panel shares insights on what watershed organizations want municipalities to know, helping to deepen understanding of the factors affecting both the quantity and quality of our drinking water supplies, the implications for communities, and key considerations for addressing these challenges locally. Whether you’re a planner or municipal official, an advocate, or you just want to learn more, this webinar offers practical guidance and real-world perspectives you won’t want to miss.

👉 Watch the recording here: https://youtu.be/Ca2CvLEsj6Q

👉Access the post-webinar Q&A here: Q&A Notes

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