Updating the Regional Policy Plan 

The Cape Cod Commission has extended the comment period for the draft 2025 Regional Policy Plan. The public may submit comments through Wednesday, September 24, 2025.   

The Regional Policy Plan (RPP) is the Cape Cod Commission’s blueprint for balancing growth with stewardship of the region’s unique natural and community assets. Required under the Cape Cod Commission Act, the plan outlines a regional vision and growth policy, sets goals and objectives, and provides the framework that guides both local planning efforts and the Commission’s regulatory review.  

At its core, the RPP defines a shared vision for Cape Cod, one that protects fragile ecosystems, supports a resilient economy, and sustains community character. It anchors the Commission’s regulatory work by establishing clear goals in areas such as water quality, climate resilience, open space, housing, and community design, ensuring development projects align with regional priorities.  

The plan also serves as a tool for towns who can work to align local policies with regional goals. From zoning updates and wastewater planning to housing strategies and climate adaptation, the RPP provides the framework that connects local action with regional needs.  

The RPP identifies emerging challenges, from affordability to infrastructure resilience, and outlines ways to address them through targeted planning initiatives, broad public engagement, and coordination across government levels, ensuring regional priorities are considered in the decision-making process. 

A community-driven update process 

The update to the Regional Policy Plan began in October 2024 with sub-regional hearings to gather community input on the region’s challenges and opportunities, followed by focus groups on housing, transportation, economy, climate change, and open space. 

A resident survey conducted by the UMass Donahue Institute in early 2025 added further insight, and spring public meetings helped refine priorities. Subregional stakeholder meetings in May offered feedback on proposed changes, leading to the release of a draft RPP in June 2025.  

The draft is now open for public comment, after which it will be revised and presented for approval and adoption as a county ordinance. 

Modest updates align goals and objectives with current regional needs 

Modest updates have been made to the RPP to include the most up-to-date data and information and to ensure that the goals and objectives align with the current needs and priorities of the region. 

Feedback from stakeholders informed changes to the goals, objectives and growth policy, which recognizes and emphasizes the region’s finite resources and reiterates the need to protect the region’s environment. Input received throughout the update process also informed development of recommended actions.  

The draft RPP includes new recommended actions related to the natural, built, and community systems in the region. These include but are not limited to development of a regional open space plan, development of a dynamic groundwater model, advancing actions that reduce risk in the coastal flood zone, supporting post-disaster planning, continuing to elevate under-represented histories, and fostering zoning changes to support greater housing opportunities throughout the region. 

Comments on the draft RPP are being accepted through Wednesday, September 24, 2025. Learn more: www.capecodcommission.org/rpp-update