WINDHAM — Three local women are spearheading a group of about 40 residents concerned about over-development in Windham.

Karen Lougee, Michelle Allain-Newton and Sarah Bronson are the group’s de facto leadership team. They were motivated to action after being notified about a month ago of a proposed 35-unit development on Land of Nod Road, which would abut each of their homes.

They began researching development in town and, Lougee said, were “totally unaware of the rest of the developments that had been planned in this area.”

Among other proposals, a 22-unit development was proposed on Highland Cliff Road, which is near Land of Nod. Only residents who abut proposed developments are notified, which is why so many residents are unaware of them, Lougee said.

As of Sept. 18, 97 building permits had been approved this year and 205 are in review, Town Planner Amanda Lessard said at a Town Council meeting. Last year, 96 permits were issued and 120 were approved in 2016, she said.

The majority of the proposed developments are cluster subdivisions, which permit a reduction in lot size. The Land of Nod and Highland Cliff projects are proposed in existing farm zones, which require two-acre lot minimums, but as cluster subdivisions, each lot could be less than one acre. In exchange, cluster subdivision developers are required to preserve half of the available property as open space.

At a packed Oct. 22 Planning Board meeting, during which a number of development proposals were discussed, Allain-Newton read a letter on behalf of Lougee, which said, “There is nothing rural about a cluster subdivision.”

Lessard replied, “Cluster subdivisions have been permitted in the farm and farm residential zones since 1986, and it’s been an approach to preserve open space in rural areas.”

Planning Board member Nick Kalogerakis added, “The purpose of the cluster is to be able to retain open space.”

The citizens’ group has a number of concerns about the proposed developments, including the impact on taxes, schools, roads, wells and septic systems.

In addition, the group is worried about the impact on large bodies of water. According to a 2016 Maine Department of Environmental Protection Integrated Water Quality Report, four water bodies in Windham are listed as high priority for water quality planning efforts due to low levels of dissolved oxygen: Black Brook, Colley Wright Brook — which is near the proposed Highland Cliff and Land of Nod developments — Otter Brook and Pleasant River.

The group is also concerned about the location of the proposed developments. According to Windham’s Comprehensive Master Plan, adopted in 2017, one of the four top priorities is to invest in rural Windham to keep it rural.

“Rural is going to be gone before they get their tails in gear,” Bronson said.

The comprehensive plan maps out several growth areas where “future growth is to be targeted and encouraged or incentivized.” The Land of Nod/Highland Cliff area is not one of them.

Of the 205 permits under review, Lessard said Sept. 18, only 12 are in a growth area.

“The fact that development has occurred the way it has throughout town with pretty much no distinction between growth area and non-growth area is telling us that the strategies that have been used so far have not been effective,” then-Town Manager Tony Plante said at that meeting.

One solution Allain-Newton suggested is implementing a limit on the number of building permits issued each year.

Lougee said her goal at this early stage in her group’s organization is to get the word out and ensure her neighbors understand the extent of the proposed developments. There was a good response when she, Allain-Newton and Bronson contacted neighbors about the Land of Nod proposal and about 40 signed on to the group.

She added, “We’re not against growth. We can’t stop progress by any means, but you can do it slowly, and you can do it responsibly.” She and the others want to help the Town Council do that.

At a Sept. 25 meeting, the Town Council approved a work plan for the Long Range Planning Committee that includes projects such as investigating zoning ordinance amendments and impact fees, among other items.

“I feel almost panicked. The land is really a finite resource, and it’s not sustainable to do it at the rate it’s going,” Allain-Newton said.

“My concern,” Bronson said, “is that it’s going to be too little too late. If Windham really wants to retain our rural character, they have to do something now.”

The Long Range Planning Committee will hold two public forums on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Middle School cafeteria and on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m. in the Town Hall gym.

Jane Vaughan can be contacted at 780-9103 or at jvaughan@keepmecurrent.com.

Sarah Bronson, left, Karen Lougee and Michelle Allain-Newton have formed a residents group to express their concerns about development in Windham.

Trees have been cleared at the site of the proposed Highland Cliff Road development in Windham.

Planning Board members Andrew Mayo and Nick Kalogerakis and Vice Chairman Keith Elder listen to citizens’ remarks at the Oct. 22 meeting.

There was a full house at the Oct. 22 Planning Board meeting when citizens turned out to discuss proposed developments.

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