Purpose of the Vision Statement

The purpose of the vision statement is to articulate the community’s aspirations for its future. The planning horizon typically extends ten years into the future. NH RSA 674:2 II (a) describes the purpose of this (mandatory) component of a municipal master plan:

“A vision section.. serves to direct the other sections of the plan. This section shall contain a set of statements which articulate the desires of the citizens affected by the master plan, not only for their locality but for the region and the whole state. It shall contain a set of guiding principles and priorities to implement that vision.”

Process

This Vision Statement reflects input we received at Old Home Day in 2023 & 2024, along with Planning Board insights and suggestions. We engaged the townspeople via a public opinion survey and a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) session. Comments and suggestions from the public are always welcomed.

Overview

Seabrook residents aspire to a community that is healthy, safe, and affordable. The Town will protect its natural resources, enhance its economic vitality, and maintain its unique small town character. The scenic vistas, unspoiled beaches, healthy dune system, expansive salt marsh, pristine estuarine waters, and beautiful landscapes will continue to inspire visitors and residents alike. We will honor our community’s traditions, agricultural heritage, fishing industry, and historic resources. Seabrook will continue to be a great place to live.

Community Character

We are a welcoming, family-friendly, and inclusive community. Our sense of community will remain strong, close-knit, and resilient. There will be space for everyone to feel at home. Seabrook will be a caring community, one that offers its residents an environment in which a high quality of life is attainable. There will be a strong sense of community pride, and a celebration of Seabrook’s unique characteristics and traditions.

Economic Opportunities

Our land use regulations will support and encourage small-scale entrepreneurial activity, incubators and start-ups. Economic opportunities will be available to all. Locally-owned business establishments will retain their status as treasured community assets. The Town will act promptly in pursuit of grants and federal funding for initiatives that further advance the local economy.

Housing

We will host a range of housing that offer options for everyone. Those who were raised in Seabrook will have the opportunity to remain in town should they choose to do so. There will be workforce housing to support the needs of local businesses, ample opportunities for downsizing and aging in place, senior housing in walking distance to amenities and public spaces, assisted living facilities to allow those in need of such assistance to stay in town, resident-owned mobile home parks, plentiful starter homes for young families, and year-round rental units in sufficient numbers to meet the needs of Seabrook citizens.

Fiscal Responsibility

In order to ensure that all of Seabrook’s diverse population is able to afford to remain in town, the tax rate must remain stable. The tax base will be broadened and made less reliant on the nuclear plant. The municipal budget will remain within our means, and will be sustainable.

Adaptation to a Changing Climate

We will be prepared. And we will adapt. We will choose a resilient and sustainable path forward, and will be responsive to the challenges posed by a changing climate. Our public infrastructure will be efficient, well-maintained, innovative, technologically advanced, and resilient to the threats posed by sea level rise (SLR), groundwater rise, and severe weather events. We will deliver on our promise of a community that is healthy, safe, and affordable. Seabrook’s expansive salt marsh will continue to offer flood storage and mitigation benefits, and its migration pathways will be protected. Seabrook will play a supportive role in helping our fellow Granite State residents to implement the state’s new climate action plan.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

We will reduce our collective carbon footprint, take the lead in recycling and energy efficiency, and move toward being a net zero community. Electrical generation will be decentralized, reliable, and renewable. We will promote transportation alternatives that do not emit GHG, and that serve the needs of residents and visitors alike. Solar arrays will be commonplace, albeit sited discretely so as to minimize the visual impact. Our housing stock will be energy efficient. Heat pumps powered by renewable electricity will be encouraged. Most building materials will be sourced from renewable resources. Municipal vehicles will emit no GHG. Federal grants will be obtained to facilitate this historic transition. The salt marsh will continue its important ecosystem function in sequestering carbon.

Streets and Public Ways

Our streets and public ways will be designed and operated to enable safe access for all users, so that motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across the streets. Bicycle and pedestrian paths and trails will crisscross the town. Motor vehicle traffic congestion will be reduced. Bike racks will be ubiquitous. The off-street transportation will be efficient and accessible to all.

The Rail Trail

A completed rail trail will provide benefits to those who enjoy an active lifestyle. The network will offer connections to nearby communities, and will provide local shoppers with an alternative to motor vehicles for accessing local businesses and services that are situated in the US Route 1 corridor.

Commercial Fishing

The estuary will continue to serve as an ocean nursery that is critical to supporting fish and shellfish populations. Our commercial fishing industry dates to the earliest era of European settlement in New Hampshire. The industry is a critically important component of our heritage, our economy, and our community’s unique character. Accordingly, we will continue to support the industry.

Education

Seabrook’s public schools will provide a high quality educational environment where young scholars thrive and learn to love learning. The schools will continue to serve as an important community institutions and vital social hubs.

Municipal Services & Facilities

Government operations will be accessible and transparent. The Town will recruit and retain high caliber professionals to manage our municipal departments, and will provide them with the resources that are necessary to deliver top notch services. The delivery of emergency services will be efficient and cost effective. Recreation facilities will serve all ages and abilities. Municipal buildings will be built or renovated to meet LEED energy-saving standards, and all streetlights and municipal buildings will utilize energy-saving LED lighting.

Emergency Management

Our emergency planning will remain current so that a timely response to extreme weather events, flooding, or nuclear-related incidents will be executed flawlessly. When evacuation is required, it will proceed smoothly and unhindered. Evacuation routes will be improved, if necessary, to ensure an efficient and timely movement of evacuees.

Historic Resources

The community’s heritage will be honored, protected, and celebrated. Seabrook’s historic built environment will be preserved to the extent practical. Nineteenth century family graveyards will be inventoried, restored, and protected. Seabrook’s wealth of pre-historic archaeological sites will be provided appropriate treatment. Civic monuments and those honoring veterans will be maintained and respected.

Waterfront Access

Such access is an important community asset that will be preserved. All Seabrook residents will enjoy full access to public waters.

Regional Cooperation

Our record in cooperating with nearby communities will continue unabated. Regional cooperation offers many advantages, not least of which is the opportunity to address regional challenges in a cost effective manner. Climate change, resiliency, protection of the estuary, and emergency response are but three areas where a regional approach is beneficial.

Environmental Protection

Our drinking water will be pollution-free, and its supply will be more than sufficient to meet our needs. The use of herbicides, pesticides, and harmful chemicals will be substantially reduced. Our pollinators will do their job efficiently and in great numbers. An abundant diversity of fish, birds, plants, and other native species will thrive. Wildlife corridors will be protected. Seabrook’s shellfish beds will be open to recreational harvesting. The extent of impervious surfaces will be reduced, and Seabrook will continue to lead NH in parking reform measures that minimize unnecessary pavement. Salt marshes, wetlands, ponds, streams, vernal pools, and aquifers will be protected. Dun grass and the dunes they protect will be protected. The estuarine system will be preserved as it helps to maintain water quality, aquatic wildlife hatcheries, aquatic and avian wildlife habitat and travel corridors, flood storage, and commercial and recreational opportunities.

Open Space Preservation

The expansion of Seabrook’s inventory of preserved open spaces will continue apace. Land development will be more compact and less intrusive than in times past. Seabrook enjoys a remarkable wealth and diversity of scenic views, wildlife habitat, opportunities for boating, fishing, and hunting, as well as open space such as forested uplands, expansive beaches, sand dunes, open fields, streams, rivers, and a major part of NH’s largest salt marsh. These valuable resources will be preserved, to be enjoyed by all, in perpetuity.