December 22, 2014 — The state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has given its approval to the city of Gloucester's 2014 Harbor Plan, backing a document that's aimed at giving the city and developers more flexibility along the waterfront, while also protecting the fishing industry and maintaining the state's Designated Port Area.
In a letter to Mayor Carolyn Kirk dated Friday, Dec. 19, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett also placed conditions of future uses around the harbor, requiring that the city continue to generally maintain its Designated Port Area as noted in the amended plan, and follow the DPA's development guidelines.
"In my approval," Barlett wrote, "I find that the final 2014 Plan … serves to promote and protect the core marine and water-dependent industrial composition of the DPA, while providing for the local goals of enhanced support of the commercial fishing industry, expansion of water-dependent industry, and continued allowances for flexibility in supporting DPA uses.
"On balance," she said, "I am confident that it will function as a clear and effective framework for achieving the city’s goals in harmony with state policy governing stewardship of tidelands, including those located within a DPA."
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