Comprehensive Plan

Elements diagram - topics as listed in text
Visit the main Project Hub, established by the consultants, with information about opportunities to participate.

The consultants issued a Press Release in October, 2025 and Advisory Committee members are helping to spread the word.
The members are:
           Steven Hagan
           Dawn LaFrance-Linden
           Shawn Hanegan
           Kay Aubrey
           Scott Cope
           Jim Katz
           Adam Schwartz
           Bohau Zhou
Preparing a comprehensive plan, or ‘master plan’, is a responsibility of the Planning Board under MGL Ch 41 Sec 81D. The purpose is to provide a basis for decision making regarding the long term physical development of the town. Its preparation involves an interactive public process that addresses community values, goals and consistent development patterns. The statute specifies a number of topics to be covered, together with an implementation section. 

The topics (which can be added to or rearranged) are:  Land Use;  Housing;  Economic Development;  Natural and Cultural Resources;  Open Space and Recreation;  Services and Facilities; and  Circulation. The plan can propose expansion or replacement of public facilities or circulation system components and amendment of regulatory structures. 

Bedford's last Comprehensive Plan

Bedford’s last Comprehensive Plan, titled The Bedford We Want: Shaping Our Future was prepared in 2013. Most of its recommendations have been followed through with focused studies and actions, including: 
•   Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan
•   Expansion of sports field capacity
•   Revisions to Industrial zoning
•   New mixed-use zoning for business areas along the Great Road corridor
•   Cultural resource inventorying and programming
•   Housing Study and related initiatives

Its analysis of a wide range of topics and their interactions still has general relevance.

Work on Bedford's new Comprehensive Plan

In 2025, the Board embarked on a new Comprehensive Plan. Funding was approved by the 2024 Annual Town Meeting and an RFP was issued in December, 2024 for consultant assistance. In May, 2025 the Town signed a contract with J M Goldson LLC. The new plan will be able to take account of new data and changing issues. Its preparation process will invite wide participation by other boards and committees, residents and other interested parties.

In July the Board invited people to express interest in joining an Advisory Committee for the plan (see News Flash or Bedford Citizen article). The size of the committee was limited, to enable manageable discussions. It first met in October and is assisting with outreach to the broader community.

At Bedford Day in September, 2025 we publicized the start of work and displayed some snippets from the consultant's draft background report, Bedford Today: A Summary Profile. The draft profile was revised with input from Planning staff and issued in February (scroll down to view).

A public Opinion Survey, Crowdmap and 'Meeting-in-a-box' materials were launched in October, 2025 and kept available on the Project Hub until the end of January, 2026.

A Public Forum was held on January 8, 2026 at 7:00pm in the High School. About 50 people attended and participated with questions, comments and conversation. Further opportunities for small group discussions based on the 'Meeting-in-a-Box' materials were offered at the Town Hall and the Library, facilitated by Advisory Committee members during January. 

In February, the Advisory Committee helped the consultant to shape the input received into a draft Vision Statement, six Themes and a set of Goals, with some specific ideas noted for a future set of Strategies. The Planning Board received a presentation at its meeting on February 24.

Public workshops are planned for Sunday April 12 (in the Town Hall's Reed Room) and Saturday April 18, 2026 (in the High School Cafeteria), to discuss Strategies for implementing the Goals. There will be sessions based on each of the Themes. See flyer linked below. Residents can sign up on the Project Hub to receive access to materials in advance of the workshops and come well-prepared. 


Bedford Day booth 2025
  1. BedfordCP_PhaseII_PressRelease (PDF)
  2. Existing Conditions Summary Profile 02-24-26 (PDF)
  3. Draft Vision, Themes and Goals 031126 (PDF)
  4. Flyer for Strategy Working Sessions in April 2026 (PDF)