GRAY — Residents are being invited to imagine a future for the town that invites more economic development and growth without sacrificing the rural, small town charm in the first update to the comprehensive plan in 13 years.
A public hearing Monday, Sept. 14, was the capstone to two years of work, said Steering Committee Vice Chair Krista Chappell.
The nearly 400-page document describes how to tackle the town’s top three priorities over the next 10-20 years: increase traffic safety for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists; protect the town’s natural resources and “rural character;” and promote community and economic development.
The plan includes suggestions such as expanding the town’s sidewalk and trail networks and establishing development restrictions to protect aquifer recharge areas and other natural resources.
The Town Council approved the plan at their Tuesday, Sept. 15, meeting, which will now go to voters to approve on the November ballot.
Approval of the comprehensive plan does not have an immediate effect on the town’s spending or policies, but serves as a rubric for growth management, as per Maine state statute. The steering committee suggested that the council establish an oversight committee to track its progress.
The values and priorities in the plan were identified as a result of public outreach, from online surveys to workshops and interviews with municipal department heads and local business owners.
There were 480 responses in total to the two online surveys the committee distributed.
One of the challenges the committee faced is that the plan “is a snapshot, but it’s not a single moment (and) it’s written over a period of time,” said Ben Smith of the consulting firm North Star Planning in North Yarmouth.
Most attendees at the Sept. 14 virtual hearing voiced their satisfaction with the plan, even as there were some questions about how the plan will balance commercial and real estate development with protecting farmland, in particular.
“We want to make sure that there is not sprawl that is a result of the plan,” but most of these concerns should be addressed through zoning ordinance amendments, Chappell said.
One resident said she didn’t believe the plan moved the needle forward enough.
“How is this one any different than the ones we’ve had over the last 50 years? … For 50 years, we’ve been hearing about incentives to have businesses come in, none come in and there’s a reason why and no one is addressing it,” Fran Monroe said.
However, the plan received positive reviews from the state’s Municipal Planning Assistance Program, which gives the town greater leverage when working with state agencies such as the Department of Transportation, for example, because the town can prove their identified priorities were approved by the state, Smith said.
“I’m hoping ultimately the town approves the plan (and) that the residents see value in it. I know there are things that we will potentially spend money on but I do think that those expenses will return in interests in the town, both for new residents and businesses,” Chappell said.
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