Two years in the making, the 156-page final draft of South Berwick’s updated Comprehensive Plan identifying goals of the community and ideas for their implementation is now in the hands of the Town Council and public.
The draft plan was presented to the council May 14 by Raegan Young and Paul Schumacher of the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, who worked with the citizens’ Comprehensive Plan Committee to develop the document.
The plan addresses the town’s economy; conservation and natural resources; land use and housing; arts and recreation; the downtown; and public facilities and services, among other things.
It identifies “growth areas,” parts of town where growth should be encouraged, as well as “critical rural areas,” where it should be discouraged. All other areas are considered “rural,” where minimal new growth should occur. The downtown and Punkintown areas are cited as growth areas.
Regarding the downtown, 77% of the 1,100 citizens who submitted surveys indicated high priority for “village and downtown growth that is walkable.”
“The purpose of this plan, let’s not forget, is not to simply adopt a plan,” Schumacher told the council. “It’s to adopt and implement it.”
The plan does not set laws or requirements for implementation, but takes inventory of a community, identifies its future goals, and lays out ways the community can achieve them. Many towns adopt such plans but then let them “sit on the shelf,” Schumacher noted.
South Berwick’s plan was last updated and expanded in 2008 in accordance with the state’s Growth Management Act, which requires all municipalities to submit a comprehensive plan every 10 to 15 years.
Young, the lead on the project, said there was exceptional citizen involvement through surveys, focus groups and a public information session, as well as a “great committee” of citizens and two Town Council members who developed the draft plan.
Extensive data collection and town staff input were also key. The draft includes information about South Berwick’s population, median income, education levels, traffic volume, the school system, the library and downtown.
In light of the many projects now on South Berwick’s agenda – traffic lights, downtown revitalization and open space plans – Schumacher suggested the Town Council identify perhaps three items to take on each year and appoint an implementation committee to report on a quarterly basis.
The plan now goes to the state for review and then is returned to the town for needed revisions or information. Young anticipated this would take about three months. After any concerns are satisfied, the council must hold a public hearing before voting on adoption of the plan.
Both Schumacher and Young encouraged citizens to review the plan on the town website. Councilor Jessica Cyr, who serves on both the Comprehensive Plan and Downtown Revitalization Advisory committees, stressed the value of the plan.
“This comprehensive plan not only inventories the immediate needs of our town,” said Cyr, in a blog post entry on her website. “[It] also lays a strong foundation for the sustainable growth and development of South Berwick for years to come.”
A slide presentation created by Young, part of an April public information session, is here: drive.google.com/file/d/1eOJU2QxCF9rWWCrzBhrCeDrFCRnKqBOk/view
Land use maps, focus group summaries, and citizen survey results are : https://www.southberwickmaine.org/government/boards___committees/comprehensive_plan_committee/comprehensive_plan_public_information_session.php
