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09/17/10
(updated 09/25/10)
Council considers slowing work
on revisions to land-use policies
Just as growth is projected to slow in Cape Elizabeth, so is the Town Council slowing work on its plans to accommodate that growth
The council on Sept. 13, 2010 voted to refer to its ordinance subcommittee a list of recommendations from the town manager that essentially postpones work on implementing the land-use recommendations of the 2007 Comprehensive Plan. At the same time, they will consider recommendations for revising open- and recreational-space policies suggested by Town Councilor Frank Governali in a Sept. 13 memo.
Earlier this year, the Planning Board began drafting a series of zoning-ordinance amendments to reflect the Comprehensive Plan recommenations for land use, particularly in undeveloped residential zones. It is the fourth of five packages of amendments considered high-priority by the council when it adopted the plan three years ago.
However, a recent update on projected growth through 2020 is causing the council to pause.
"I think a lot of heat and urgency has gone out of the land use issue in terms of numbers," said Council Chair Anne Swift-Kayatta. The updated projections, submitted by the planning firm Planning Decisions, estimates an average demand for new housing in Cape Elizabeth at 3-4 houses per year through 2020. (Click here for Planning Decisions report)
Members of the Planning Board and the Town Council reviewed the new data in a workshop Sept. 7.
"I don't want to start rewrting the Comprehensive Plan. I just want to defer some steps for a while," Swift-Kayatta said at the meeting Sept. 13.
Both sets of recommendations are based on recent downward trends in local real-estate sales and building activity. Like Town Manager Michael McGovern's recommendations, Governali's suggest that the Planning Board defer work on the land-use chapters of the plan, and further recommend that the Town refine policies on open- and recreational-spaces before addressing land use.
The Ordinance Committee is scheduled to meet at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, at Town Hall.
No agenda has been published yet for the ordinance committee meeting, but councilors promised to publish a document encompassing all recommendations to be considered at least a week before the meeting. (
Click here to view combined recommendations - 09/25/10) At every step along the way there is going to be a chance for the public to weigh in," Swift-Kayatta said.
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