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 is commencing with three sub-regional public hearings in early October. These public hearings provide 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, there will be other opportunities for engagement and input over the next several months. Once a draft is completed, it will be released for a public comment period, during which there will also be public hearings 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.
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
