CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

                                                                                     

                                        28 Commercial Street   v   Concord, New Hampshire 03301

                        v  phone: (603) 226-6020   v   fax: (603) 226-6023  v  internet: www.cnhrpc.org

 

 

Established in accordance with state law, the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission (CNHRPC) is a voluntary association of 20 communities in Merrimack and Hillsborough Counties.  The Town of Dunbarton is a member in good standing of the Commission.

 

The Commission's mission is to improve, through education, training, and planning assistance, the ability of the municipalities of the region to prepare and implement municipal plans; to prepare a plan for effective and appropriate development and utilization of the resources of the region; and to assist municipalities in carrying out the regional plan.

 

The Commission provides a variety of planning services, including consultations on planning issues; planning research; sample ordinances, regulations, and planning documents; access to Census information and other data sources; grant information; review and comment on planning documents; development review; and educational programs.  Membership also entitles a community to affordable master planning assistance, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, and other land use and transportation planning-related assistance.

 

In 2003, CNHRPC staff assisted the Town through the initiation of work on the Dunbarton Master Plan in coordination with the Planning Board and the Master Plan Steering Committee.  In addition, the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission:

 

o       Provided general local planning assistance to member municipalities and responded to inquiries regarding zoning ordinance, subdivision regulation, and site plan review regulation revisions. 

 

o       Held training sessions related to Planning Board process and development review procedures.

 

o       Coordinated four meetings of the CNHRPC Regional Resource Conservation Committee (R2C2). The R2C2 seeks to bring representatives of each of the region’s communities together to work on conservation issues that affect the overall region.

 

o       Hosted educational regional workshops on Shoreland Protection and Wetlands Protection through the Regional Environmental Planning Program (REPP).

 

o       Provided assistance related to implementation of the Statewide Building Code and local building codes.

 

o       Conducted approximately 225 traffic counts throughout the region.

 

o       Organized and hosted five meetings of the CNHRPC Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC).

 

o       Finalized the update of the FY 2005-2014 Regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and participated in the development of the Statewide 10 Year Transportation Plan.

 

o       Continued the update and expansion of the regional transportation model. The transportation model will be an integral component of the I-93 Bow to Concord Transportation Planning Study.

 

o       Provided assistance to municipalities, groups and interested individuals regarding the Transportation Enhancements (TE) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) programs.

 

o       Facilitated a series of housing forums through funding provided by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA).

 

o       Provided continuing technical assistance to the Upper Merrimack River Local Advisory Committee and the Contoocook North Branch Local Advisory Committee.

 

o       Coordinated the development of the Concord Area Transit Expansion Study.

 

o       Provided assistance to CNHRPC member towns regarding National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) participation and compliance.

 

o       Undertook local and regional hazard mitigation planning activities.

 

o       Maintained and updated the www.nharpc.org website of statewide local census data and statistics.

 

o       Assisted local housing and childcare advocacy groups through funding provided by the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA).

 

o       Provided support and assistance to local trail advocacy groups and communities interested in trail development.

 

For additional information, please contact the CNHRPC staff or your representatives to the Commission, Larry Cook and Kenneth Swayze, or visit us on the internet at www.cnhrpc.org.