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  Smart Growth
 

Municipal and Regional Planning Assistance

What Is Planning?

Planning, also called urban planning or city and regional planning, is a dynamic profession that works to improve the welfare of people and their communities by creating more convenient, equitable, healthful, efficient, and attractive places for present and future generations.

Planning enables civic leaders, businesses, and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people's lives.

Good planning helps create communities that offer better choices for where and how people live. Planning helps communities to envision their future. It helps them find the right balance of new development and essential services, environmental protection, and innovative change. [American Planning Association]

Municipal and Regional Planning Assistance staff provides information, guidance, and training to municipal officials and staff, regional and state planners and the general public about laws and regulations pertaining to land use.

Services include:

The MRPA section carries out the following duties:

  • Coordinates State funding for regional planning agencies;
  • Responds to inquiries from regional and local planners and officials, and from the public;
  • Prepares and updates guidebooks, technical bulletins and videos on municipal planning, zoning and related topics of interest;
  • Maintains a central file of local land use regulations as required by RSA 675:9;
  • Maintains and updates annually a database on the status of municipal planning and land use regulations in New Hampshire;
  • Develops and presents training programs for local land use boards and Regional Planning Commissions in accordance with State statutes; and
  • Provides technical assistance to communities in special areas such as water resource protection planning, wetlands protection, floodplain management and smart growth.

Contact Information:
Chris Northrop
Office of Energy and Planning
Governor Hugh J. Gallen State Office Park
Johnson Hall, 3rd Floor
107 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301
PHONE: (603) 271-6651
FAX: (603) 271-2615
E-MAIL: chris.northrop@nh.gov
 
 
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