The purpose of a municipal Master Plan, as stated in the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) 674:2, is to describe the "Planning Board's recommendations for the desirable development" of the Town. The information compiled for the Master Plan needs to include sections on a general statement of the intentions of the Master Plan and land use. Additional recommended components are housing, transportation, utilities, community facilities, economic development, natural hazards, recreation, conservation and preservation, regional concerns, and implementation. The public is invited by the Planning Board to participate in the process. A Master Plan is typically updated every five to seven years.

A Town's Master Plan is the basis upon which the Zoning Ordinance, Site Plan Review Regulations, and Subdivision Regulations are written and revised. A Community Survey and Visioning Session are made available to residents of the Town to make sure that their concerns, comments, and suggestions are incorporated into the Master Plan.

Dunbarton's last Master Plan was produced in 1990 by the Planning Board. Current information from the US Census, NH Office of State Planning, NH Department of Employment Security, NH Department of Transportation, Central NH Regional Planning Commission, and from the Town of Dunbarton will be used to compile the new statistics for the 2004 Master Plan.

Dunbarton's 2004 Master Plan will be comprised of the following chapters:

Introduction and Community Vision (no Subcommittee)
This Chapter will discuss the process leading up to the publication of the 2004 Master Plan and will summarize the themes from the Community Visioning Session and Community Survey.

Goals and Objectives (no Subcommittee)
Broad Town goals and each Chapter's objectives will be examined in this Chapter.

Historic and Cultural Resources
Cemeteries, social organizations and opportunities, historic markers, and historic sites will be inventoried, discussed, and mapped.

Population and Economics
Population trends, demographics, births and deaths, projections, commuting patterns, income, and employment will be researched, discussed, and displayed.

Housing
Residential development, affordable housing, building permits, housing costs, and land use controls will be discussed.

Natural Features
Water features, groundwater locations, conservation lands, agricultural areas, ecological resources, and geologic features will be identified, discussed, and mapped.

Community Facilities
Surveys of all Town Departments/Commissions will be undertaken. Fire, police, town office, recreational, school, and library facilities will be discussed in terms of needs and capacity and their locations will be mapped. Utilities will be discussed likewise and their locations mapped.

Transportation
Roadways will be classified, traffic counts will be displayed, and accident data will be examined and mapped. Access management, pedestrian infrastructure, public transportation, bridge network, and improvements will be discussed.

Existing and Future Land Use
Zoning Districts and land uses will be examined and mapped, trends will be identified, regulations will be reviewed. Future land use will be interpreted and mapped.

Regional Concerns (no Subcommittee)
Dunbarton will be examined within the context of the Central NH Region in terms of the issues that affect both neighboring towns and Dunbarton. Suggestions on how Dunbarton can get involved with regional issues will be offered.

Implementation (no Subcommittee)
This Chapter prioritizes the Recommendations found within the Master Plan and delegates each one to a Department, Commission, Board, or new Committee.

Appendix (no Subcommittee)
This Chapter contains the comprehensive Survey results and write-in comments as well as any additional material needed to supplement the Master Plan.

Each Chapter contains Community Survey results plus Objectives and Recommendations from the Subcommittee(s).