In July’s Anchor, I offered some reasons why Harpswell should have a certified comprehensive plan. In this submission, I’d like to summarize the key goals and recommendations in the draft plan that will come before the town for approval in November.
First, it’s essential to understand the comprehensive nature of the plan. It addresses 13 areas of concern that flow directly from the vision statement developed by the community and summarized in the July Anchor. What follows is a brief overview of these areas and how the plan addresses them.
Marine economy: The plan affirms that preserving and enhancing Harpswell’s marine economy is crucial to the town’s future. The recent passage of the town’s “right to fish” policy and other efforts to protect fishing access and the working waterfront are important to the town’s future development.
Marine resources: The plan asserts that Harpswell must maintain a healthy marine environment to support fishing, tourism and recreation. Maintaining water quality is vital to future success.
Freshwater resources: Having sufficient potable water is critical to virtually every future planning effort. The town must undertake actions to better understand and protect groundwater resources. Those actions should include following low-impact development standards and adopting strict conservation measures.
Natural resources: Maintaining the town’s natural resources is considered a fundamental goal moving forward. The town’s Open Space Plan should be supported as much as possible.
Recreation and community services: The town offers an array of recreational activities to residents and visitors alike. These activities and services should be preserved and enhanced in the future to ensure the needs of children and older adults are addressed. Access to the waterfront must be protected as much as possible.
Public facilities: Strong and sustained investment in fire and rescue services should be maintained, along with investment in local schools and libraries.
Transportation: Harpswell is a car-dependent community with only four main roads (Route 24, Mountain Road, Cundy’s Harbor Road and Route 123). These roads must be maintained and protected in a way that ensures safe access in all conditions. To the extent possible, scenic views should be preserved.
Fiscal capacity: Sound fiscal stewardship of town assets is critical to future progress. Improving long-term capital planning to address climate change impacts will be an important consideration in the future.
Economy: Local businesses should be supported, including commercial fishing and tourism. Improving housing options in ways that support a diverse workforce and improving data collection from businesses to better understand their impact on the town’s economy should be encouraged.
Historic and archaeological resources: Promoting an understanding of the history of Harpswell and integrating it into town activities whenever possible will help unify the town and should be supported. Efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change (for example, sea-level rise) on historic resources should be pursued.
Agriculture and forestry: While agriculture and forestry are not economically vital to the community at this point, they play an important role in preserving the rural character and scenic nature of the town and should be preserved.
Housing: The availability of affordable/attainable housing is an issue that must be faced. Many people with valuable skills (for example, teachers, nurses, tradespeople, fishermen, young families and older adults) simply cannot afford to purchase or rent housing in Harpswell. A series of approaches has been endorsed to help address the issue. These approaches include house-splitting, in which a large house is divided into two or more residences; expanding opportunities for accessory dwelling units to be built on suitable properties; expanding the availability of long-term rentals; working with organizations such as Nesterly to pair homeowners who have available space with individuals or families wishing to rent; and constructing smaller houses on smaller lots if certain conditions are met.
Land use: Moving forward, land use needs to preserve the things the town values while allowing residential and business development to occur in a controlled fashion. The plan advocates restricting development along the shore and distributing development in the town’s interior zone in a way that preserves the town’s rural character and minimizes the impact on groundwater resources. Accomplishing this will require additional study and debate.
A public hearing to review the draft plan and answer questions will take place on Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. at Harpswell Community School. In the interim, the draft plan can be found on the town website.
