MVPC hosted a housing summit to officially launch the Housing Production Plans (HPPs) of all fifteen cities and towns in the region. Elected officials, municipal staff, housing advocates, and community organizations gathered at North Essex Community College to discuss...
Newbury Receives Green Communities Designation
The Town of Newbury, along with Peabody, Gosnold, and Leyden, became one of the newest additions to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER) Green Communities Division in 2024, making them eligible for grant funding throughout the state. The Green...
Building Capacity to Assess Regional Barriers
During the fall of 2024, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission’s (MVPC) Coastal Resource Coordinator, Hanna Mogensen, and Environmental Planner, Macklen Wier, completed a stream crossing barriers assessment training through the North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity...
MVPC Awarded $1.2 Million ATIIP Grant
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) discretionary grant award. The $1,176,000 award will fund planning and design, reimagining transportation along the 110 corridor between the communities of Methuen, Lawrence, Haverhill, Merrimac and Amesbury.
Drone Program Soars Onwards
In May of this year, we announced that we acquired a drone – more professionally known as a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) – with ambitious plans to trailblaze new remote sensing projects in the Merrimack Valley. Since then, our DJI Matrice 350 RTK, affectionally named...
MVPC Welcomes Adrienne Lennon
MVPC is thrilled to welcome our new Environmental Program Manager Adrienne Lennon. As the Environmental Program Manager at Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Adrienne leads a team of talented specialists in the technical service areas of environment, land use,...
Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan is Ready for Local Adoption
Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMP) are comprehensive plans that identify risk occurring from natural hazards and outline strategies to minimize that risk to prevent loss of life and property. The first regional HMP for the Merrimack Valley was written in 2008 and updated...
Affordable Homes Act Permits ADU’s
On August 6, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act into law, permitting Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to be built by right in single-family zoning districts effective February 2, 2025. The legislation authorizes $5.16 billion in spending over...
World Day of Remembrance
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is looking for volunteers to paint flags in honor of victims of traffic violence. The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission needs your help to build a memorial to the 94 people who have been killed on roads in the Merrimack...
Merrimack River Early Alert Tool
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission is proud to announce the public release of its Merrimack River Early Alert Tool! This tool, and its corresponding GIS visual dashboard, link, was developed as an initiative of the Merrimack River Collaborative to share water...