Master Plan Sub-Committee

The purpose of the master plan is to set down as clearly and practically as possible the best and most appropriate future development of the area under the jurisdiction of the planning board, to aid the board in designing ordinances that result in preserving and enhancing the unique quality of life and culture of New Hampshire, and to guide the board in the performance of its other duties in a manner that achieves the prinicples of smart growth, sound planning, and wise resource protection.  To read more about the statutory provision of the master plan click HERE.

From the 1996 Master Plan:

As Francestown approaches the twenty first centruy, its population is poised to surpass the peak of around 1,500 first attained in 1830 when the won was a thriving and prosperous regional commercial and cultural center.  Today, located on the periphery of several sub-regional hubs, the town is primarily a residential community with an architectural heritage and a rural atmosphere reminiscent of its past.  One thing, however, has not changed:  Francestown's meadows, lakes, rivers, streams, hills and forests.  The beauty of these natural resources attracts suburban commuters and supports the town's main recreational businesses just as the utilitarian value of these assets was a magnet for the settler-entrepreneurs of an earlier time.