Regional Policy Plan Update

Overview

Click to download the current Regional Policy Plan.

The Cape Cod Commission Act requires the preparation of a Regional Policy Plan (RPP) that provides regional planning policies and objectives to guide development and protect the region’s resources. The plan must identify critical resources and management needs, include a growth policy, contain regional goals, and provide a policy for coordinating regional and local planning efforts. The current Regional Policy Plan was approved as Barnstable County Ordinance 19-01. It was amended in 2021 to incorporate goals, objectives, and actions  to address climate change. The amended RPP became effective March 30, 2021. Cape Cod Commission staff are working on an update to the 2018 Regional Policy Plan.    

Key Elements

The Regional Policy Plan articulates a growth policy and vision for the region. The current Regional Policy Plan's growth policy is:

"Growth should be focused in centers of activity and areas supported by adequate infrastructure and guided away from areas that must be protected for ecological, historical, or other reasons. Development should be responsive to context while allowing for the restoration, preservation, and protection of the Cape's unique resources while promoting economic and community resilience." 

It also contains goals and objectives that guide planning work and provide the foundation for regulatory review. For each issue area of the current RPP, technical bulletins provide key methods and information for achieving the goals and objectives for projects undergoing development of regional impact review. Additionally, the RPP includes identification of the region's critical resources and needs, and provides the framework for coordinating regional and local planning efforts. 

Update Process

The update process for the Regional Policy Plan began with three sub-regional public hearings in early October 2024. These public hearings provided an opportunity to hear from community members on the greatest challenges facing the region today and ideas for better aligning the RPP with today's needs. Following these initial public hearings, several focus groups were held to gain initial feedback in the specific issue areas of housing, transportation, economy, climate change, and open space. Additionally, during January and February, the Commission worked with the Donahue Institute at UMass Amherst to conduct a resident survey to understand resident perspectives on challenges and planning issues for their town and the region. A report of the survey results will be available in April 2025. 

Public update meetings were held in March to provide an overview of the process to date and get feedback and input from attendees. Based on input from these meetings, the focus groups, the survey, and other comments received to date, Commission staff will begin articulating potential changes. There will be subregional meetings on those proposed changes in May. Feedback on the proposed changes will be incorporated into a draft of the update. Once a draft is completed, it will be released for a public comment period after review from the Regional Policy Plan subcommittee and Cape Cod Commission. During the public comment period there will also be subregional public hearings and further opportunities to obtain feedback on the completed draft. Based on feedback received, the RPP will be refined and presented to the Cape Cod Commission, Assembly of Delegates, and Barnstable County Commissioners for approval and adoption as a county ordinance. 

Watch the Regional Policy Plan Update public meeting presentation:

Public Comment

Written comments may be submitted by mail to the Cape Cod Commission, P.O. Box 226, 3225 Main St., Barnstable, MA 02630 or online using the form located at https://capecodcommission.org/2024RPP.

Regional Policy Plan Subcommittee

The Commission authorizes the use of subcommittees to gather facts and to make recommendations to the full Commission on any regulatory application submitted to the Commission. The Regional Policy Plan Subcommittee will oversee the RPP update process. Subcommittees conduct public hearings and public meetings in the course of regulatory proceedings. Unless otherwise authorized by the Commission, subcommittees shall make a formal recommendation to the full Commission, which is the ultimate decision-making authority. 

RPP Subcommittee Members

• Tom Wilson, Chair, Chatham
• Harold Mitchell, Sandwich
• Peter Okun, Provincetown
• Richard Roy, Dennis
• Elizabeth Taylor, Brewster
• John Druley, Falmouth, Alternate
• Dennis Prebensen, Yarmouth, Alternate