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| Northeast Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission | |
|---|---|
| Name | Northeast Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission |
| Formation | 1963 |
| Type | Regional planning agency |
| Headquarters | Haverhill, Massachusetts |
| Region served | Northeastern Massachusetts |
| Membership | 27 municipalities |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Northeast Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission
The Northeast Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission serves as a metropolitan planning organization and regional council in the Merrimack Valley and coastal corridor, engaging with municipal, state, and federal entities including Massachusetts Department of Transportation, United States Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and regional authorities such as the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission and Metropolitan Area Planning Council. It operates in proximity to urban centers and institutions like Haverhill, Massachusetts, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts, Essex County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, and academic partners such as University of Massachusetts Lowell, Tufts University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The commission was established amid statewide regionalization initiatives influenced by legislation like the Interstate Highway Act era planning and models from entities such as the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Maine Turnpike Authority. Early collaborations connected towns affected by postwar urban renewal in Salem, Massachusetts, industrial transitions in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Haverhill, Massachusetts, and coastal management along Essex County, Massachusetts. The commission’s evolution paralleled federal programs administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Economic Development Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency for brownfields, transit, and waterfront revitalization, mirroring projects seen in New Bedford, Massachusetts and Fall River, Massachusetts.
Governance follows a board model with appointed representatives from member cities and towns, reflecting practices comparable to the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The commission interacts with state offices including Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and coordinates with regional transit operators such as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and MVRTA while adhering to federal mandates from the United States Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. Professional staff include planners with experience from programs at American Planning Association conferences and training tied to National Flood Insurance Program rules and Clean Water Act implementation.
The commission’s membership spans cities and towns in counties like Essex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and Hampshire County, Massachusetts corridors adjacent to the Merrimack River. Notable municipalities included in its service area are Haverhill, Massachusetts, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Methuen, Massachusetts, North Andover, Massachusetts, Andover, Massachusetts, Tewksbury, Massachusetts, Georgetown, Massachusetts, Newburyport, Massachusetts, Amesbury, Massachusetts, Gloucester, Massachusetts, Beverly, Massachusetts, Salem, Massachusetts, Lynn, Massachusetts, Peabody, Massachusetts, Rockport, Massachusetts, Ipswich, Massachusetts, Rowley, Massachusetts, Essex, Massachusetts, Salisbury, Massachusetts, Boxford, Massachusetts, Groveland, Massachusetts, West Newbury, Massachusetts, Merrimac, Massachusetts, North Reading, Massachusetts, Andover, Massachusetts, Dracut, Massachusetts, and Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
The commission administers regional plans and technical assistance projects similar to initiatives by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District and Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. Programs include comprehensive planning, zoning assistance, and economic development strategies that align with funding sources from the United States Economic Development Administration, Community Development Block Grant programs administered by Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, and resilience grants coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The commission works on brownfields assessment akin to projects in Springfield, Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts, housing needs assessments comparable to efforts in Boston, Massachusetts, and downtown revitalization similar to initiatives in Lowell, Massachusetts and Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
As a metropolitan planning organization, the commission develops long-range transportation plans and short-term Transportation Improvement Programs consistent with regulations from the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration. It coordinates roadway and transit projects with Massachusetts Department of Transportation, commuter rail providers such as MBTA Commuter Rail, and regional transit authorities including the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority and Cape Ann Transportation Authority. Studies have addressed freight corridors tied to the Port of Newburyport and Port of Boston, bicycle and pedestrian planning reflecting guidance from the Federal Highway Administration’s Complete Streets principles, and congestion management strategies similar to analyses performed by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.
Environmental planning and hazard mitigation activities align with programs from the Environmental Protection Agency, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Work includes floodplain mapping connected to the Merrimack River watershed studies, coastal resilience planning relevant to the Atlantic Ocean shoreline and estuaries near Plum Island, Massachusetts, and brownfields remediation projects like those supported in Fall River, Massachusetts. The commission partners on climate adaptation and storm-surge planning consistent with frameworks from the National Climate Assessment and state adaptation strategies from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
Funding derives from federal sources including the United States Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and United States Department of Commerce as well as state grants from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and local matching contributions from member municipalities such as Haverhill, Massachusetts and Lawrence, Massachusetts. Partnerships extend to academic institutions like University of Massachusetts Lowell, nonprofit organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, regional economic development corporations similar to MassDevelopment, and workforce programs coordinated with MassHire. Cooperative initiatives mirror intergovernmental collaborations seen with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and regional bodies like the North Shore Regional Commission.
Category:Regional planning organizations in the United States Category:Organizations based in Massachusetts