2025 Master Plan

Town-wide Master Plan Adopted - April 23, 2025

On April 23, 2025, the Planning Board unanimously adopted the 2025 Town-wide Master Plan. You can view the Master Plan at either of the links below:

The Master Plan was guided and steered by the Master Plan Steering Committee, comprised of individuals from various Town committees and Salem residents at large. Many opportunities for public feedback were provided, including in-person workshops, surveys, public comment cards, etc. 

The Master Plan Steering Committee page hosts all historical documentation of the process, including meeting recordings, presentations, documents, etc. At their final Steering Committee meeting on February 19, 2025, the Committee unanimously voted to recommend to the Planning Board to adopt the Master Plan.

You can click the cover page below to view the 2025 Master Plan.

heritage and horizons

What is the Master Plan? Why does it matter?

The Town of Salem Master Plan was an over 12-month town wide long-range planning process to establish a vision for the future of Salem's economy, housing, transportation, and much more. One of the most important roles of a Master Plan, like this one, is to 'connect the dots' so that all of the Town's efforts work towards an integrated overall strategy. 

The Master Plan guides the Town's policies, regulations, and capital investment programs. It is particularly important for changes to zoning, the rules that govern what can and can't be built on private property. 

When was the last time the Master Plan was adopted?

The Master Plan was last comprehensively updated in 2001. Some staff-initiated updates to the 2001 Master Plan were completed and adopted in 2016. The 2016 version of the Master Plan can be found here.