Regional Policy Plan Update

Overview

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 previous 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 2025 Regional Policy Plan was approved by the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, and adopted by the Barnstable County Commissioners as a county ordinance on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. The new RPP became effective December 29, 2025. For each issue area of the RPP, technical bulletins provide key methods and information for achieving the goals and objectives for projects undergoing development of regional impact review. The Technical Bulletins were updated concurrently with the RPP and were adopted by the Cape Cod Commission on Thursday, December 4, 2025 to go into effect simultaneously with the new RPP. 

Key Elements

The Regional Policy Plan articulates a growth policy and vision for the region. The 2025 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 allowing for the restoration, preservation and protection of the Cape’s unique and finite resources while promoting economic, environmental, and community resilience." 

It also contains goals and objectives that guide planning work and provide the foundation for regulatory 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. The survey results are available here. 

Attendees at public hearings and meetings provided feedback verbally and on posters to inform the RPP update. 

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 drafted potential changes. Subregional meetings on those proposed changes were held in May. Feedback on the proposed changes was incorporated into a completed draft, which was released for a public comment period after review from the Regional Policy Plan subcommittee and Cape Cod Commission in June 2025. During the public comment period there were additional public hearings and further opportunities to obtain feedback on the completed draft. Based on feedback received on the draft, the RPP was refined and was presented to the Cape Cod Commission, Assembly of Delegates, and Barnstable County Commissioners for approval and adoption as a county ordinance. 

In addition to the Draft Regional Policy Plan, the fifteen Technical Bulletins that provide greater detail for meeting goals and objectives during regulatory review of projects were also updated and the drafts released for public comment. Following the public comment period, the Technical Bulletins were revised based on feedback received and then presented to the Cape Cod Commission for adoption. 

Watch the Regional Policy Plan Update public meeting presentation:

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 decision-making authority. 

RPP Subcommittee Members

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