Old Town will soon embark on its first revisions to the city’s comprehensive plan since 1995.
Talk of beginning a comp plan review initiated several months ago, and for a while it was backburnered. But the talk is becoming a reality, with a request for proposals going out for assistance with work on the plan.
The current plan will be reviewed to see how it is working, and what inconsistencies it may have. Demographics will be looked at as well, and an infrastructure and growth analysis will be done. A city-wide survey also will be conducted, with input sought from residents on their goals and areas of concern for the city, and how they view Old Town as a place to live and work. Public hearings will be a part of the process as well.
Code Enforcement Officer David Russell said this week in a letter going out with RFPs that while it has been 19 years since the last update, he does not see any huge changes ahead for the plan.
“I can’t foresee running major infrastructure beyond where it terminates today for the foreseeable future,” wrote Russell. “Our growth areas will remain along Stillwater Avenue, the downtown area, and the airport, of which there is a master plan in place for development.
“I would want to see how we can address the zoning designation for Pushaw Lake, as it is now designated as Seasonal Residence. As 90 percent of the people that own property are on the lake it only makes sense to address this in some fashion.”
Russell said this week that it is hoped the comprehensive plan review committee, which will include city officials, planning board members, and residents, can be appointed by the end of February, with that group to begin its work by late winter to early spring.
No time frame has been given for when it is hoped the review can be completed. Typically, however, they can take upwards of a year, if not longer.