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!
