BRUNSWICK — When Brunswick’s comprehensive plan was last updated in 2008, the town was bracing itself for the closure of the Brunswick Naval Airstation and the thousands of jobs and families that would leave with it.
Now, 12 years later, Brunswick continues to evolve and the former base is now Brunswick Landing, a hub for more than 135 businesses employing over 2,000 people, many in the technology sector.
As the town looks toward the next 10-12 years, officials are tasked with creating the next comprehensive plan, a document that determines community goals in terms of development and regulates policies on transportation, land use, recreation and housing, among others.
Officials hope to have the plan before the council in the fall, and then it will be sent to the state level for review.
After months of planning and review, according to Matt Panfil, director of planning and development, they are entering the fun part: “dreaming what our town could look like.”
Community members are invited to attend a planning session to share what they would like to see included in the plan. The first session is 6 p.m. Thursday in the Brunswick High School Cafeteria, and the second will be 9 a.m. at the St. John’s Community Center. Visitors need only attend one session.
So far, some key concerns are already showing up in responses from an earlier community survey and preliminary discussions.
“There is certainly a desire to address climate change,” Panfil said.
In December, the town council unanimously approved a “climate resolution” declaring a climate emergency and pledging to help “safeguard against the current and potential consequences of climate change, including adopting specific policy goals and funding accomplishment of those goals.”
To help develop plans and hear community input, the town will host a special climate change discussion panel at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Curtis Memorial Library.
Another focus seems to be on the need for affordable housing.
In fall 2018, the library hosted a series of housing insecurity discussion panels amid a year-long battle to establish zoning for homeless shelters in Brunswick.
The town will host a housing panel, similar to the one focused on climate change, Feb. 20, 6 p.m. at the library, to discuss what the town can do to help solve the problem at the municipal level.
Bicycle and pedestrian improvements will also likely be tied into comprehensive plan discussions. At a town-wide meeting Feb. 27, Town Planner Jared Woolston will discuss the feedback from three different forums this year centered around the areas that need safety and access improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians.
According to the Forecaster, Brunswick last updated its Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan in 2004 and, with the Comprehensive Plan undergoing an update, the town plans to revise it accordingly.
“February is going to be a busy month,” Panfil said, “there’s a lot going on. We have to look at everything.”
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