After reading three letters of warning from members of the Comprehensive Plan Task Force about March’s vote, I decided to read the available literature on the plan, as well as the proposals by the Affordable Housing Working Group.
Parts of the plan are straightforward and unambiguous. Others, particularly concerning housing proposals and land use changes, appear shoehorned into place by public pressure with optimistic forethought lent to future consequences.
Is there pressure for decisions to be made right now? The comprehensive plan is a functional map guiding future decisions and actions. Should the plan return to the drawing board for fine-tuning and perhaps more public input? Should studies be commissioned to gather more information? Does timing demand potential imprudence? Can things wait? Some folks involved apparently believe so.
It therefore appears to me that perhaps the barn doors are being thrown wide open before the horses have been safely secured. I now better understand why warning labels have been attached to the vote by task force members.
Kevin White, Harpswell Neck
