Do we need a quarry, (Oh, where would we put one if not in a farm zone?) Do we need a four-story hotel, (Oh, our rural character).
Wait, I haven’t heard about the traffic. Oh, yes, we are looking at connector roads to the west of 302, proposed by a business. What about west at River Road where a significant amount of the commuter traffic enters Route 302?
These issues listed above and others come about because our ordinances allow it.
Example: Hotel, four stories, in the C1 zone, no height restrictions. Remember if you want 80 rooms and don’t go up then you have to go out. Oh, I have to mention a big part of that zone sits on an “Aquifer overlay zone” as does a big part of our C1 zone.
A quarry, an allowed use in the Farm and Farm Residential zones, which most of the town falls into. With all our zones you also have accessory uses.
Traffic, do we have an access movement ordinance? No. Do we have a master plan for roads or water extension? No.
ARE WE STILL RURAL? Would “rural” attract big boxes, or cause conflict with a quarry? Let’s become proactive and look at the cause of all these problems and others. The answer is our ordinances. We have a 3-year-old Master Plan (life expectancy is five to 10 years) that our ordinances don’t totally comply with.
Windham is changing; our ordinances need to change as well, along with the way we do business. This problem is not unique to Windham; just look around us at Raymond, Gray, Gorham, etc. The difference is many of these towns are changing, as we are, but at a much faster rate in the way they do business. I have no problem with the “WINDHAM WAY” but the Windham way is what got us here. Maybe that attitude needs to be looked at. Time is our enemy. The system has to become proactive to change and dump the reactive ways of the past.
I read and hear all these complaints but where are these people? I hate “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” and “NIMBYS” (not in my backyard). Windham is managed by a town council and volunteer boards, (most if not all with openings). Where are they, where are you?
Become involved and if you don’t like it, help change it and stop throwing stones!
Dave Nadeau
Windham
Member of: Planning Board, Ordinance Review Committee, Comprehensive Master Plan Implementation Committee, Priority Task Force Committee
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