WINDHAM — About 65 residents turned out for the Long Range Planning Committee’s community workshop Nov. 10, with one saying that if the town does not act soon, “there will be no more rural to preserve.”

The purpose of the forum was to discuss future proposed zoning changes for farm and farm residential zones and gather feedback about development in rural Windham. The committee held an identical session on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

Ben Smith, former Windham planning director and current community planner at North Star Planning, kicked off the forum, saying the town has been growing for decades, although “the effects of that growth are cumulative. And that growth is permanent.”

“Growth management is not no growth,” Smith said. “There is a basic assumption here that there will be growth in rural Windham, as there always has been, but how we manage that growth is really what today’s session is about.”

The Town Council asked the Long Range Planning Committee to propose zoning changes that will address growth in farm and farm residential zones.

Although Windham’s Comprehensive Plan prioritizes keeping rural Windham rural, Smith said, development in the past decade has not been concentrated where the plan recommends.

He explained, “zoning hasn’t been effective on its own as a way to direct growth to the places we want growth to happen and to direct growth away from the places where we don’t want it to happen.”

During a short question-and-answer session, Sarah Bronson of the residents’ group Growing Windham Responsibly said, “My biggest fear is that this is a snowball rolling downhill so fast right now. And if we do not act quickly in terms of how these get planned, there will be no more rural to preserve.”

Her comments received enthusiastic applause.

Attendees visited four stations, each attended by a member of the Long Range Planning Committee, to discuss a question. Residents moved from station to station and wrote their ideas on large pieces of paper.

The questions posed were: What are the most important rural areas, What should future development look like, What are the most pressing impacts of rural growth to deal with and Where is rural Windham?

The first question garnered responses including lakes, rivers, hiking trails, watersheds and East Windham, among others.

Residents felt strongly about the future development question, and many spoke forcefully to town planner Amanda Lessard at that station.

They emphasized qualities such as two-acre lots, no cluster subdivisions, protecting waterways, focusing on infrastructure, developing only in designated growth areas, increasing setbacks from bodies of water, preserving native plant species and managing open space, among others.

For the third question, attendees focused on impacts such as environmental and water quality, loss of scenic and unique places, wildlife and habitat and traffic and road conditions.

At the fourth station, residents cited issues such as preserving natural water resources, eliminating mineral extraction by lakes and maintaining town history, among others.

There was also a station where residents could answer the question “To Me, Rural Windham is…”

Attendees wrote comments such as “where nature is still natural,” “low-density housing” and “preservation.”

In his concluding remarks, Smith presented the Long Range Planning Committee’s timeline, which includes drafting new zoning standards throughout the winter and spring of 2019.

In the spring and summer of 2019, a community review of the draft will be conducted, he said, so that residents can give feedback.

The Town Council and Planning Board review is scheduled to take place in summer 2019.

During a final question-and-answer session, Rosie Hartzler, president of the Highland Lake Association, spoke about climate change.

“Nobody said anything about that today. We are on a path of self-destruction. We really need to pay attention because this is a freight train that’s been moving and forecasting change for years and years and years,” she said, receiving eager applause.

In an interview, Smith said he was encouraged by the high attendance at both forums.

“These conversations need to happen so that the changes that are going to direct growth in ways we want to direct growth are going to be grounded in what the public’s saying,” he explained.

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

Town Planner Amanda Lessard speaks to residents about future development in town.

Long Range Planning Committee member Nick Kalogerakis talks with residents at a station.

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