_____________________________________________________________________________________ MEMORANDUM TO: Tom Miragliuolo, Senior Planner, Municipal Planning Assistance CC: Tom Poirier, Director of Community Development, Town of Gorham Carol Eyerman, AICP, Town Planner From: Ben Smith, AICP, North Star Planning RE: Gorham Comprehensive Plan Amendments, South Gorham Future Land Use Date: March 11, 2021 _____________________________________________________________________________________ On behalf of the Town, I am pleased to submit the attached mapping and narrative amendments to the Town of Gorham Comprehensive Plan Update, 2016. Gorham has undertaken a process to update portions of its 2016 Plan relative to the South Gorham Crossroads growth area. Following a public hearing at the Town Council meeting on March 2, the Town Council approved the changes described here and attached to the memo: Map changes to the boundary between the South Gorham Crossroads area, a Mixed Use Growth Area, and the Village Expansion area, a Residential Growth Area, and Text changes in the narrative description of the South Gorham Crossroads area to: o Clarify and provide more detail in the vision for the non-residential component of mixed-use developments, and to o Emphasize the importance of the Stroudwater River as a natural resource within the growth area. This process began last summer after the committee drafting ordinance language for the South Gorham Crossroads area based on the 2016 Update encountered questions from property owners in the area about residential densities envisioned in the plan and the plan’s call for new non-residential uses to be part of mixed use project as opposed to stand alone uses. The Town Council charged an ad hoc Comprehensive Plan Amendment Committee to review all mapping and narrative associated with the South Gorham Crossroads and South Gorham Commercial areas. As part of this Committee’s public participation plan, the Town ran a survey, met with stakeholders, mailed a letter to all property owners in the South Gorham Crossroads area, and produced a video promoted on the town’s website and social 105 New Gloucester Road North Yarmouth ME 04097 207-400-6097 | www.northstar-planning.com 2 media presenting committee recommendations and requesting feedback. Ultimately, the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee recommended the changes to the Crossroads area as outlined above and no changes to the South Gorham Commercial area. The committee held a public hearing on these changes on January 27, 2021, and then voted to send the changes to the Town Council with a recommendation to approve. Attached, you will find the approved materials that replace or update existing elements of the 2016 Plan, as detailed below: Figure 6.2, Future Land Use Map o This will replace the map on page 62 of the 2016 plan Figure 6.3, Gorham Village (Future Land Use Map) o This will replace the map on page 63 of the 2016 plan Figure 6.5, South Gorham (Future Land Use Map) o This will replace the map on page 65 of the 2016 plan Amended text showing changes to the 2016 Plan’s South Gorham Crossroads Area in Chapter 6, Land Use, for Location, Allowed Uses and Development Standards descriptions, and showing no changes to the South Gorham Commercial Area o This will replace wording found on pages 52-53 of the 2016 plan Figure 6.2: Future Land Use Map Gorham Comprehensive Plan Update E Residential Growth Area Suburban Residential Village Expansion Mixed-Use Growth Area Gorham Village Center Little Falls Village Center Mosher Corner Mixed Use Narragansett Mixed-Use Dev. South Gorham Commercial Center South Gorham Crossroads Village Approach Village Commercial Nonresidential Growth Areas Corridor Commercial Industrial Mosher Corner Planned Dev University Institutional Mixed-Use Limited Growth Areas Village Office-Residential White Rock Mixed-Use Residential Limited Growth Areas Village Residential Rural Areas Rural 0 1 2 Miles Prepared by Town of Gorham 6/10/2016 Amended 2021 Figure 6.3: Gorham Village Gorham Comprehensive Plan Update M o s s e h re e T r ey en inn re Ph G T E i F m b D o e r o t r l R l H i o i d f l g f l e y ld a fie r e G idg R L in a a w M P n a r k S D c J h o o J o n s o o n e h l a p n h s s u o L p n Ca m ib b C y r e s s E e e g l C y lle m State Co Ne y w P r ortland n ree G R o ok b ro i B e ck C s Bla r s e e t c S s t c s e o e s A u ll t y n ri B or h a M r g a a c r r k a e t N od t wo ple Ma O akwood H a r t ks s B ee e W r S n o a a Kiar l low r o Longfel d m P n o to R n ew in N e y s Da Quincy Ethels Residential Growth Area Nonresidential Growth Areas 0 0.5 1 Miles Suburban Residential Corridor Commercial Village Expansion Industrial Mosher Corner Planned Dev Mixed-Use Growth Area University Institutional Gorham Village Center Little Falls Village Center Mixed-Use Limited Growth Areas Mosher Corner Mixed Use Village Office-Residential Narragansett Mixed-Use Dev. White Rock Mixed-Use South Gorham Commercial Center Residential Limited Growth Areas South Gorham Crossroads Village Residential Village Approach Village Commercial Rural Areas Rural Prepared by Gorham Planning Office 6/10/2016 Amended 2021 Figure 6.5: South Gorham Gorham Comprehensive Plan Update In d s ia k n e C e a m W y Da y p E e irl y Sh B nc r ui a Q c k e t in t Caitl ood stw Cre se hou ter Wa s n o ine lla c R cLe a d P M S nar Ber S o u aw t Str h County E d g K e f D e i ee e e r n l in d m g e a h n r u B 0 0.5 1 Miles Residential Growth Area Nonresidential Growth Areas Suburban Residential Corridor Commercial Village Expansion Industrial Mixed-Use Growth Area Mosher Corner Planned Dev Gorham Village Center University Institutional Little Falls Village Center Mixed-Use Limited Growth Areas Mosher Corner Mixed Use Village Office-Residential Narragansett Mixed-Use Dev. White Rock Mixed-Use South Gorham Commercial Center Residential Limited Growth Areas South Gorham Crossroads Village Residential Village Approach Rural Areas Village Commercial Rural Prepared by Town of Gorham 6/10/2016 Amended 2021 CHAPTER 6 LAND USE South Gorham Crossroads Area Location – The South Gorham Crossroads Area includes land on both sides of South Street from the roundabout at the Bernard Rines Village Bypass to the Stroudwater River and extending eastward to Brackett Road , excluding the area around the Shirley Lane and Newton Drive neighborhood (see Figure 6.5). Allowed Uses – Since the Crossroads Area will potentially be served by the continuation of the East-West connector or related improvements and is potentially serviceable by public water and sewerage, the allowed new residential uses in this designation should be limited to multi-family residential and residential units in mixed-use buildings. Single-family and two- family dwellings should not be allowed in this area. In addition to residential uses, a range of non-residential uses should be allowed as part of a planned, mixed-use development including business and professional offices, retail and service uses, fully enclosed light industrial uses, and community and public uses. These new non-residential uses should be integrated into an overall project or support new residential development by building at a neighborhood or community scale, as opposed to highway oriented commercial strip development, big box stores, or the large commercial only projects like industrial or office parks. Development Standards – The development standards in the Crossroads Area are intended to require a high-intensity pattern of development. The maximum density for residential uses should be twelve to fifteen units per new acre with provisions for variable density for small units. In addition, the standards should require a minimum overall density of not less than five units per net acre for any individual residential project. The standards for development should require that new buildings be located with access off internal streets when feasible. All development should maintain an attractive roadside appearance with a landscaped buffer strip along the edge of both existing and new streets. The location of large parking lots between buildings and existing streets should be restricted. New development master planning should account for open space and recreational trails. The Stroudwater River is an important natural resource in South Gorham, and the town should consider additional protections that go beyond those afforded through existing Shoreland Zoning standards. To assure that the vision for this area is attained, all development proposals on lots that had at least ten acres as of April 1, 2013 must be done in accordance with an approved development plan for the entire parcel. This plan must establish, in conceptual terms, the overall use and development of the parcel including provisions for roads and other infrastructure. The plan should also include development and design standards to guide building-by-building development. This plan must be approved by the Planning Board prior to any development on the parcel and, once approved; all projects must substantially conform to the development plan. CHAPTER 6 LAND USE South Gorham Commercial Center Area Location – The South Gorham Commercial Center Area designation includes the land on both sides of the County Road in the vicinity of the intersection with South Street (see Figure 6.5).