Master Plan Steering Committee
Project Overview: Comprehensive Master Plan Update
What is a Master Plan?
A Master Plan is a long-range plan for a community that provides guidance for city-wide growth and development patterns, investments, and initiatives. It provides the foundation for determining effective public policy, master planning, and land use decisions for the future. In addition, it serves as the guiding policy document for many of the City’s most critical decisions, such as redevelopment decisions, zoning changes, and capital investments. A Master Plan should reflect the needs, values, and priorities of the community while safeguarding the City’s sense of place, history, and natural resources.
Why is the Master Plan Important?
While the Master Plan is not a legal document, it does provide the legal basis for zoning and other land use regulations. In New Hampshire, a Master Plan with a Vision Section and a Future Land Use Section is required in order for a local community to enact zoning, establish a capital improvement program, or adopt a historic district. The Master Plan also establishes the legal standing for implementation of ordinances and other planning board regulations. State statute recommends that communities update their master plans every 5-10 years. It has now been 13 years since Keene’s Master Plan was last updated.
Where can I learn more about the current Master Plan?
The current Comprehensive Master Plan was adopted in 2010 and covers 21 different topic areas. The plan is available online to view and download at keenenh.gov/community-development/comprehensive-master-plan.
What is the anticipated project schedule?
The Master Plan update project will start in January of 2024 and last approximately 18 months. The goal is to have a final draft ready to start the adoption process by July or August of 2025.
The tentative project schedule is as follows:
2023 July - December: Pre-project preparation - Form a Steering Committee and hire a consultant or team of consultants.
2024 January - September: Conduct a community-wide visioning process and update the community snapshot. This phase will involve robust community outreach.
2024 October - 2025 July: Develop plan language including Executive Summary and Implementation Plan, reorganize sections, finalize the graphic layout of the plan, and develop a future land use map.
2025 August - December: Adoption process - including a joint public hearing before the Planning Board and City Council and separate votes by each to endorse (City Council) and adopt (Planning Board) the revised plan.
2024 Meeting Schedule
All meetings are scheduled for the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM in the 2nd Floor Council Chambers of City Hall unless otherwise noted with an asterisk (*). Meeting dates, times and locations are subject to change.
February 6, 2024
*March 12, 2024
April 2, 2024
May 7, 2024
June 4, 2024
July 2, 2024
August 6, 2024
September 3, 2024
October 1, 2024
November 5, 2024
December 3, 2024
