THE RYE BEACH MASTER PLAN
The Rye Beach Precinct contains 636 acres. Its population is older than the general Rye population. There were 25 houses in Rye Beach in 1851. At that time a number of houses were built in the Greek Revival style. In the later part of the 19th century Colonial revival, Queen Anne, Shingle Style and Stick Style appeared along with the Mansard roof. The community is one of single family homes which are primarily owner occupied.
Rye Beach has fresh and tidal wetlands which require development constraints to protect the ecosystem, flood control and the quality of the area water. The area is no longer used for agriculture. Eighty percent of the land in Rye Beach is considered unsuitable for development. In a land use study conducted in 1986 by the Thoresen Group, it was determined that 45.9 percent of the land in Rye Beach was occupied by single family residences. Most of the rest, a combined 42.6 percent, is open space and recreational.