The Cape Elizabeth Comprehensive Planning Committee has moved back the date to present its recommendations to the public, but after more than a year, the time is getting close.

The committee members, meeting last Thursday to review policies on land use, decided to give themselves an extra meeting to review a final draft of a revised comprehensive plan before discussing it at a public forum.

The forum was pushed back from Jan. 10 to Jan. 25. The committee will then review the plan and submit it to the town council on Feb. 28.

“We hope for a lot of feedback,” said Barbara Schenkel, planning board member and chairwoman of the comprehensive committee.

The 12-member committee going through and prioritizing the 82 recommendations it is proposing.

The committee has developed three goals for land use: the town should continue to promote clustering of proposed new development, the town should add land-use regulation options that preserve community character and the town should require that development of certain residential districts be served by public sewer.

Town Councilor Mary Ann Lynch, a member of the committee, said on Friday that residential clustering would probably have the biggest impact for the town, giving developers and the planning board more flexibility, she said.

“The economic incentive is no longer just for the developer,” said Lynch of the land-use proposal.

Development in Cape Elizabeth would be restricted to the amount of open space preserved. A developer could pay a neighboring farmer for the farmer’s development rights. The developer could then develop more of the open space on his or her lot. The farmer would, therefore, not be able to develop, but would also be getting money to preserve the farm.

“We are trying to find ways for farmers to still farm,” said Schenkel.

Cape Elizabeth Town Planner Maureen O’Meara, who is not a committee member but is helping with facts and history, handed out homework assignments for committee members to bring to the next meeting on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., in the Jordan Conference Room at Town Hall.

Residents looking for the committee’s recommendations can find them on the town Web site, www.capeelizabeth.com.