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The table has been set for developing Marblehead’s next comprehensive plan.
The Planning Board this week selected two residents to complete a 25-member advisory group that will guide development of the town’s first updated master plan since 1989. The group includes representatives from municipal departments, elected boards and community organizations who will work with consultants over the next two years to create a roadmap for Marblehead’s future through 2037.
The town received a $130,000 grant from the state’s Community Planning Grant Program to fund the initiative, with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council serving as lead consultant. The comprehensive plan will address seven key areas: housing, transportation, open space and recreation, economic development, land use, natural and cultural resources, and municipal services and facilities.
Planning Board Chair Robert Schaeffner said the plan will serve as the town’s “north star” for decision-making.
“It becomes a framework of something that was thought about not in the heat of the moment,” Schaeffner said. “You thought about it deliberately, and all those years that come after, when you have tough decisions to make, you have something that was already agreed to and bought into by the town.”
Planning Board member Edward Nilsson, who initiated the town’s last comprehensive plan update in 1989 as board chairman, said the current effort represents a significant evolution from previous planning efforts.
“It was basically data that we collected that MAPC collected for us,” Nilsson said of the 1989 plan. “But in this instance, we’re looking at a much more comprehensive plan, looking not just data, but all across the board and all of the various departments of the town.”
Town Planner Alex Eitler said the 36-year gap between plans has left Marblehead without unified direction for growth and development.
“A lot of decision making has been kind of ad hoc,” Eitler said. “This document provides an opportunity to streamline that decision making based on fact and general public consensus.”
The Planning Board selected two citizen representatives from eight applicants who submitted expressions of interest. The broader advisory group includes department heads, elected officials and residents with expertise in areas ranging from sustainability to historic preservation to public health services.
Nilsson, who has served on the Planning Board for decades, emphasized the dramatic changes Marblehead has experienced since the last plan update.
“Between the 1980s and 2025 there’s a lot that’s changed that could be upgraded or changed or altered to fit the needs of the community,” Nilsson said. “Technology is probably one of the biggest changes in communications and also leisure activities and gentrification, real estate pressure.”
The process comes as Marblehead faces pressure to balance historic preservation with modern needs including housing, climate resilience and economic development. The 1989 plan helped establish Tioga Way as a designated area for industrial and business use, though the town’s predominantly residential character has remained unchanged.
“We don’t have a separate tax category for business, because it’s such a small amount,” Nilsson said, contrasting Marblehead with cities like Salem that have substantial commercial tax bases. “General office business we could certainly use, and now that people can work from home remotely, the pressure is taken off for the need to have a separate designated area for that.”
MAPC will conduct stakeholder interviews and facilitate workshops with the advisory group on topics including public safety, land use and economic development. The process will include multiple public forums to gather broader community input throughout the planning period.
Eitler said the plan will provide residents with clarity about future land use while protecting the town’s historic character. It will also help Marblehead qualify for state grants that require updated comprehensive plans.
“It provides certainty about how land is used in the future, and that gives people an element of security when it comes to historic preservation as well as land use,” Eitler said.
The Planning Board retains final authority to adopt the plan under Massachusetts General Law. Board members will review multiple drafts during the two-year process before voting on the final document. While the board could bring the plan to Town Meeting for additional legitimacy, state law requires only Planning Board approval.
Schaeffner acknowledged the challenges of balancing competing interests in a politically divided town but emphasized the importance of comprehensive thinking.
“If people want no change whatsoever in the town, that implies there’s going to be some economic consequences in terms of tax base not growing,” Schaeffner said. “A process like this allows you to think very comprehensively about really big picture stuff.”
Nilsson noted that while state statute encourages master plan updates, there is no designated timeframe, allowing some communities to go decades between updates.
“Some towns are very quiet and sleepy, and other towns are extremely active, so it could drag around for decades before the town addresses it again,” Nilsson said.
The advisory group will hold its first meeting in coming weeks to begin the planning process that officials say is long overdue.
