NAPLES COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments 1 INTRODUCTION 3 What is a Comprehensive Plan? 3 How can a Comprehensive Plan serve the Town of Naples? 3 What is Smart Growth? 4 Benefits After Adoption 5 Public Participation in the Planning Process 5 Goals, Objectives and Policies 6 Implementation Strategies 6 SECTION 1: ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE 8 1.1 Community Character 9 1.2 Survey Results 15 1.3 Vision Statement 20 SECTION 2: INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS OF EXISTING CONDITIONS 23 2.1 The People of Naples 24 2.2 Housing 38 2.3 The Economy 54 2.4 Existing Land Use 62 2.5 Natural Resources Inventory 75 2.6 Agricultural and Forest Resources 109 2.7 Cultural Resources 112 2.8 Public Facilities and Services 115 2.9 Transportation 122 2.10 Recreation and Public Access 127 2.11 Fiscal Capacity 131 SECTION 3: SUMMARY AND FINDINGS OF EXISTING CONDITIONS AND FUTURE LAND USE NEEDS 139 3.1 Projected Growth and its Impacts 140 3.2 Projected Growth and What Naples Wants 142 3.3 Summary Listing of Planning Issues facing the Town of Naples 142 SECTION 4: GOALS, OBJECTIVES, POLICIES, AND STRATEGIES 148 4.1 Goals, Objectives, Policies and Strategies of the Town of Naples 149 4.1.1 Citizen Participation 150 4.1.2 Fiscal Policy 152 4.1.2.1 Capital Investment Plan 155 4.1.3 Public Facilities and Services 158 4.1.4 Recreation and Public Access 163 4.1.5 Cultural Resources 166 ii 4.1.6 Economic Expansion 170 4.1.7 Housing 176 4.1.8 Future Land Use 181 4.1.9 Transportation 186 4.1.10 Agriculture and Forest Resources 192 4.1.11 Water Resources 196 4.1.12 Critical Natural Resources 204 SECTION 5: FUTURE LAND USE PLAN 209 5.1 Future Land Use Planning Process 210 5.2 Future Land Use Map 210 SECTION 6: APPENDIX 215 A. Naples 2020 – Community Survey Questionnaire 216 B. Development Constraints Mapping Process 218 C. Fact Sheets on Rare and Threatened Species and Unique Natural Communities 221 List of Maps 1991 Growth Areas and New Residential Permits 68 Naples Land Use Map 74 Waters of Naples 80 Wildlife Habitat of Naples 96 Naples Undeveloped Habitat Blocks & Riparian Areas 102 Development Constraints 2004 104 Naples Scenic Views 106 Naples Agricultural and Forest Resources 110 Future Land Use Map 214 iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank all of our Comprehensive Plan Committee members who have, over the past two and a half years, put a great deal of time and effort into this plan. I want to thank Lynn Cash, our vice-chairman who was instrumental in obtaining the grant from the State Planning Office; Barbara Adlard who helped obtain the use of the school facilities; Woodsie Entwistle who spearheaded the effort to select a consultant and, in general, did whatever had to be done while also contributing a great number of semi-colons to the report; and to Kevin Clark and Barbara Hunt who each contributed their expertise and experience which helped make this plan possible. I would also like to thank our former members including Daphne Meyer who spent two years on the Committee and Rich Cebra who left to represent us in Augusta. Bob Caron, Pat McGowan, Christine Powers and Carolyn Barker also spent some time on the Committee. Both the former members and the current members deserve thanks for their culinary contributions that helped make our information gathering potluck forums a success. The Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) was our consultant on the project. The committee made a wise choice in selecting Senior Planner Rick Seeley of GPCOG as our consultant. He has used his vast knowledge of State laws and regulations to guide us through the rewrite process. Rick’s experience and familiarity with Naples (he was the lead advisor for the 1991 Comprehensive Plan) made it possible for the Committee to keep to its schedule and generate this plan in a timely fashion. We appreciate his diligence and thank him for his patience and kindness. Natalya Harkins, Caroline Allam and Maddy Adams assisted Rick. In our initial start-up phase, before we had contracted with GPCOG, we were also assisted by Neal Allen of GPCOG and by Kathleen Brown of the Lake Region Development Council. We owe a great deal to the Trustees of the Naples Library who have let us use their facilities for our meetings over the past two and a half years. We must also thank the other organizations that allowed us to use their facilities for our public meetings and potluck forums. These include Camp Skylemar, Edes Falls Community Hall, Naples Fire department and SAD 61. There are so many others that need to be thanked that it is impossible to remember them all and I apologize to anyone I may have left out. They include the Selectmen who set up this Committee; John Thompson, our CEO who was always there with information and who came to our meetings when asked; Nancy Hanson of Coldwell Banker Lake Region Properties who helped us with the Housing Sections; Bonnie Ricket, the town secretary who was there when we needed her; Peter Lowell at LEA who provided invaluable help with mapping at no cost to our town, and special thanks to Colin Holme who did the actual mapping on short notice allowing us to meet our time schedule deadline; Phil Covelli and Derik Goodine, our Town Managers who came to some of our meetings and who were always willing to help; and Penn Worcester who helped us with our public hearings. There was also John Baldwin who put our information on the Town Website; Mike Corrigan of the Bridgton News responsible for many news articles; LRTV for publicity announcements and for covering our public meetings; Colleen Ryan from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for her “Beginning With Habitat” presentation; Nancy Sferra from the Nature Conservancy for information about their holdings in Naples; Rescue Chief Chris Burnham and Fire Chief Chris Pond for all the time they spent helping us with the 1 Facilities and Capital Improvement Sections: and Town Clerk Judy Whynot, Recreation Director Beth Latsey, Harbormaster Raina Bumpus, Historical Society President Merri Watson and all the other Naples employees and volunteers. Last, but not least, we must thank all the residents and taxpayers of Naples who came to our meetings and who took the time to respond to our survey thereby providing us with the information needed to help preserve our essential character by encouraging changes that the community wants and by discouraging changes that the community considers undesirable. Larry Anton Chairman, Naples Comprehensive Plan Committee 2 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN NAPLES 2005 INTRODUCTION What is a Comprehensive Plan? A comprehensive plan is a statement of what the Town’s citizens would like the town of Naples to look like in the future, specifically 2015. The plan also embodies suggested strategies and policies on how to achieve the goals set forth in this document. The “Planning and Land Use Regulation Act of 1988,” as amended, requires Maine municipalities to develop a comprehensive plan every ten years, as a prerequisite for controlling land use. In developing and adopting a plan, it must meet the standards of the Act. How can a Comprehensive Plan serve the Town of Naples? When the current Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1991, there was much concern expressed about the large increases and fluctuations in taxes from year to year, rapid loss of rural character, open space, scenic resources, the loss of agricultural and forest to subdivisions, and commercial strip development, deterioration of water quality, wildlife habitat, loss of historic character of the Village, shortage of good paying jobs year round and reasonably priced housing. One outcome of the Plan occurred in 1998 when the Land Use Ordinance was adopted establishing the Village District implementing ways to protect it. Nevertheless, many issues still remain. By following the policies and strategies outlined in the Comprehensive Plan, wise choices can be made to avoid or at least minimize the following adverse effects of the continued population growth and development in Naples: - rapid and widespread loss of rural character, open space, scenic resources. - rapid conversion of agricultural and forest land to residential subdivisions and commercial strip development - deterioration of lake water quality, groundwater quality, stream water quality and the recreational, fisheries, economic, and water supply values of these resources. - deterioration of wildlife habitat, and of its unique value to the recreational economy. - loss of historic character and small town image, particularly in the Village. - continuing shortage of good paying, year-round employment opportunities. - a continuing shortage of reasonably priced housing. This comprehensive plan shall serve as a guide for Naples to achieve the following: - regulate development so as to minimize the loss of open space, rural character, scenic resources and agricultural and forest lands, while still allowing a broad range of options for property owners to develop their land. 3 - direct new development into a pattern which minimizes development sprawl, thereby reducing the additional per capita costs of roadway maintenance, plowing, sanding and salting, emergency services, school bussing, solid waste collection and other costs. - locally regulate development so as to effectively control its potential threat to the water quality of lakes, ponds, streams and groundwater. - encourage a limited amount of new commercial or light, clean industrial development to provide more year-round job opportunities for local residents and to help offset the residential tax burden. - encourage the long-term development and maintenance of an efficient, safe transportation network. - encourage the preservation and adaptive reuse of the historic structures so as to protect them and the unique small town character and identity that they impart to the Town, especially in the Village District.