State approves updated vision for waterfront.

PROVINCETOWN — It provided explorer Bartholomew Gosnold shelter in 1602 and was the landing place for the Pilgrims in 1620.

Now, in 2019, Provincetown Harbor pulls in ferry boats from Boston; is home to a working fishing fleet, whale-watchers and coastal scientists; and peeks out between the buildings on Commercial Street.

With all that history behind it, the harbor, an economic engine and environmental beauty, has a new plan before it, a roadmap to increase public access and protect natural resources while maintaining the historic character.

Last month, the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs approved the town’s Municipal Harbor Plan, which sets forth the vision for the port. Originally drafted in 1999, the plan is a tool for the Department of Environmental Protection, guiding the agency in licensing waterfront properties and coordinating the efforts of local committees and departments.

"The waterfront has always been inextricably linked to every aspect of life in Provincetown,” state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, said in a statement. “Now with state approval of the Municipal Harbor Plan, the town can get to work in both realizing opportunities and stewarding preservation of Provincetown Harbor, which is among the deepest natural harbors in the world.”

A new component in the plan, which has gone through its second round of updates since 1999, is addressing climate change and sea level rise, said Rex McKinsey, the town harbormaster.

“It is as much as a resiliency document as anything else,” he said.

Other changes since the last plan in 2012 include the clearer plan for shellfishing. Five or six years ago, the town set out to improve the industry.

“We’ve got much further along,” McKinsey said. “Now we see clearly what needs to be done.”

The town went through a public comment process and was congratulated by Secretary Matthew Beaton of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

“I applaud the Town for their commitment to the harbor planning process and the (plan) as a vehicle to implement a community vision for the waterfront,” he wrote in his April approval letter. “This plan reflects significant effort on the part of the Town and many members of the public who participated in the public process.”

The harbor plan will not be placed on a shelf after its adoption, McKinsey said.

The town Harbor Committee has hired a consultant to help improve public access and deal with Department of Environmental Protection licenses.

— Follow Ethan Genter on Twitter: @EthanGenterCCT.