In mid-December, Gouldsboro submitted a draft of its revised Comprehensive Plan to the State of Maine for review. The Comprehensive Plan presents a vision for Gouldsboro’s desired future and suggests ways to realize it. The vision was informed by residents’ views expressed in the 2022 Public Opinion Survey and by input gathered at multiple public meetings.
One of the residents’ most consistent, prominent concerns was preserving Gouldsboro’s rural, small-town character. Balanced against that are concerns with jobs, housing affordability, the schools, and the effects of climate change, among many others.
Maine’s Growth Management Act dictates much of the structure and format of the Plan. Each chapter begins with an inventory and analysis of the Town in required areas, including resources, marine resources, economy, housing, transportation, public facilities and services, existing land use, and future land use. Each chapter ends with a table articulating the overall Town goals for that area, objectives, strategies for achieving those goals, the parties responsible for implementing the strategies, and timeframes.
It is important to note that the Comprehensive Plan does not have the force of law. Its recommendations, such as taking action to keep Jones Pond free of invasive aquatic species or addressing climate-related road vulnerabilities, can be key to obtaining State or other grant funding. However, the actual implementation of these projects will still require approval of the Select Board and, in the case of matters such as new or revised ordinances or items affecting the Town budget, a Town Meeting vote.
Significantly, the Plan does not recommend land use zoning for Gouldsboro. We are required to identify “growth areas” in the Plan, and suggest that development there be encouraged with incentives, rather than enforced with prohibitions. Note that districts designated as growth areas are where our ordinances permit the development of workforce housing.
Once the state has accepted this plan, the hard work of implementation can begin. It is the implementation that will enable Gouldsboro to realize the vision presented here.
Below is a downloadable copy of the draft plan. It is a large document, so downloading may take a minute or so, depending on your Internet connection speed. Note that the Table of Contents is “live,” so clicking on any entry in the TOC will take you to that part of the plan.
