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Friday, October 30, 2026 Essex County, Massachusetts · Change town

Gloucester Council Adopts 2026 Housing Compass Plan

Gloucester's City Council and Planning Board each voted 7-0 to adopt the 2026 Housing Compass Plan after a joint public hearing.

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City Council and Planning Board Joint Hearing · Meeting of September 30, 2026

Gloucester's City Council and Planning Board each voted 7-0 to adopt the 2026 Housing Compass Plan after a joint public hearing. Community Development Director Alex Koppelman presented the 154-page plan, which found 41 percent of households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing and the median single-family home costs $715,000. Affordable Housing Trust Chair Deanna Fade said the trust "voted unanimously" September 21 to endorse the plan.

Councilor Dylan Benson called housing cost burden "a crisis and we need to win this." Resident Jane Fox opposed quick approval, saying "the plan does not prioritize its recommendations" and that it lacks fiscal and infrastructure impact data. The council's final vote was 7-0 with two members absent.

In the full story:

  • Who Was There
  • Organizations And Documents Referenced
  • The complete report — 2,499 words

Source: the City Council and Planning Board Joint Hearing meeting of September 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

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