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Planning board continues master plan hearings; members stress update needed to win grants
Summary
Board opened hearings on the master plan’s vision and the land-use chapter, highlighted a $10,000 grant for outreach and noted the plan (last updated 17 years ago) must be current to qualify for many grants and to guide selectboard policy.
The Ashland Planning Board continued public hearings on June 18 for the master plan’s vision statement and its land-use chapter, urging residents to submit feedback and noting the plan’s role in securing grants and guiding town policy. Chair Kendall Hughes and planning staff said the current master plan is outdated and the board has received a $10,000 planning grant to support printing, survey outreach and public engagement.
The vision statement emphasizes stewardship of watershed resources (Squam Lake and the Squam River), balancing growth with affordability, and aligning future development with the master plan and town ordinances. Hughes summarized the document as a broad policy guide, with specific chapters providing implementation detail.
Planning staff highlighted the land-use chapter’s classification of zones — commercial 1 and 2, mixed use (recently added), village residential and rural residential — and noted statutory constraints from state law that shape what may be built in each zone. The board discussed the practical importance of an up-to-date master plan: “The first thing a grantor wants to see is that a project is in the master plan,” one member said, urging timely updates to improve grant competitiveness.
Officials also offered local context and statistics included in the draft: the town presently serves about 583 water-and-sewer customers and 1,696 electric users, and the master plan update will inform where infrastructure extension could be prioritized. The hearings on the vision statement and the land-use chapter remain open through the end of the meeting; the board will incorporate written comments submitted to the land-use secretary, Jane Sawyer.
