Groveland Comprehensive Plan - Groveland, MA

Urban Design

Town of Groveland

Form + Place collaborated with Innes & Associates, over a two-year period, to produce the Town of Groveland 2023 Comprehensive Plan [adopted by the Planning Board in October of 2023]. Located southeast of Haverhill along the Merrimack River, Groveland is a small rural community – population 6,000 – with an abundance of natural resources, open space and conservation land. The town has a storied history that dates back to its early settlement during the Colonial Period and has been characterized by transformations from an agrarian community to a thriving mill town during the Industrial Period and with the advent of the railroad to a quiet bedroom community.

Cognizant of these layers of history, Form + Place’s comprehensive planning effort focused on identifying how to find an appropriate balance between preservation and potential development opportunities that could address needs such as a more diverse tax base and wider range of housing options. The Plan utilizes the lens of analyzing three key focal areas in town – the historic Elm Square and Pines Recreation Area, the former South Groveland mill village area and the Route 97 corridor which serves as a gateway from neighboring Georgetown. Each node has provided opportunities to explore recommendations related to land use, housing diversity, economic development and the preservation of natural resources and open space.

Carefully crafted surveys and a series of stakeholder meetings provided critical input and shaped a forward-thinking vision for the future of Groveland that is respectful of maintaining the most valued qualities of the community, most notably its rural character and accessibility to open space and recreation. See published Comprehensive Master Plan here.