COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE BAR HARBOR, MAINE JUNE 2007 FOR THE CITIZENS OF BAR HARBOR Bar Harbor Comprehensive Plan Update 2007 PAGE SECTION I. Introduction I-1 SECTION II. Vision Statement II-1 Chapter A. Character of the Community Chapter B. Bar Harbor in 2020 Chapter C. Issues Chapter D. Summary of Small Group Discussions in Neighborhoods SECTION III. Goals, Policies, and Strategies III-1 Chapter A. Goals, Policies, and Strategies III.A-1 Chapter B. Future Land Use Plan III.B-1 Chapter C. Capital Investments Plan III.C-1 Chapter D. Regional Coordination Plan III.D-1 SECTION IV. Implementation Schedule V-1 SECTION V. Inventory and Analysis V Chapter A. Population and Visitation V.A-1 Chapter B. Economy V.B-1 Chapter C. Housing and Land Use V.C-1 Chapter D. Transportation V.D-1 Chapter E. Utilities and Public Facilities V.E-1 Chapter F. Parks, Open Space, and Recreation V.F-1 Chapter G. Marine Resource Industries V.G-1 Chapter H. Water Resources V.H-1 Chapter I. Natural Systems V.I-1 Chapter J. Agricultural and Forest Resources V.J-1 Chapter K. Historic and Archaeological Resources V.K-1 Chapter L. Fiscal Capacity V.L-1 Chapter M. Constraints for Growth V.M-1 APPENDICES I. Goals, Policies, Strategies Showing Changes from 1993 Comprehensive Plan II. Bar Harbor Visioning Sessions III. Downtown Master Plan IV. Sewer Master Plan V. Water Master Plan VI. Harbor Management Plan VII. Corridor Management Plan VIII. Groundwater Studies I. INTRODUCTION To the Inhabitants of Bar Harbor: Attached is the Town of Bar Harbor’s Comprehensive Plan (referred here as the Plan). A Comprehensive Plan provides the legal basis for Land Use Ordinances, and guides capital improvements’ decisions as well as operations. The Plan, then, is an encompassing document, affecting all Town Departments in our service delivery and in setting our priorities. The Plan affects the citizenry in how and where we will direct public improvements, growth and development. The Plan is written and established to be a working document for your use over the next decade. As required by Maine statute, the Comprehensive Plan covers the following topics: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DOWNTOWN WATER RESOURCES MARINE RESOURCES AND FACILITIES COMMERCIAL FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURAL FACILITIES RECREATION, PARKS AND OPEN SPACE TRANSPORTATION HOUSING HISTORIC & ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES LAND USE CAPITAL FACILITIES & PUBLIC SERVICES In working on these topics, there were three components: 1. INVENTORY & ANALYSIS – what do we have, what are the projections for the next 10 years? 2. POLICY AND DEVELOPMENT – what is our response to what we have now and what is our reaction to the projections? 3. IMPLEMENTATION – Getting to where we want to be through Ordinance Changes, Capital Expenditures and Town policies and programs Due to the legal basis and direction of the Plan, the process for public participation was crucial to be inclusive and allow discussion on all topics and components. The process commenced with a series of “listening sessions” in 2005. The listening sessions were with the business community, residents in Hulls Cove, Salisbury Cove, and Town Hill, as well as sessions on issues like shoreland development, management of cruise ships, and bicycle/pedestrian needs. From this effort, a “grey paper” was produced outlining all the comments from these nine meetings. A mailing list was started from these meetings to create a base of people to work on the Plan. I-1 Thereafter, the Town contracted a team of consultants. Elizabeth A. Della Valle, AICP of the Portland area, led this team. Her team included Hugh Coxe of New England Planning Concepts in Falmouth, Maine; Jane Lafleur, the director of Friends of Midcoast Maine; Judy Colby-George of Spatial Alternatives in Falmouth, and Gore Flynn of Enterprise Resources in Portland. They introduced themselves to the public and commenced their work with a series of meetings. We then went to work on the data sets for the topics listed above. As data chapters became available in 2005 and 2006, presentations on a combination of topics were held with the public on these topics. With each meeting, the mailing list grew. Once presentation and discussion of the inventory and analysis was completed, in 2006, a series of visioning sessions were held. At this point, we had an understanding of the issues, knowledge of the past growth and development, and a sense of where Bar Harbor is headed in growth and development. This knowledge base drove the visioning session in asking the informal but pertinent question: knowing what you know now, where should the anticipated growth go? With the consultant team, we went to the neighborhoods of Salisbury Cove, Town Hill, Hulls Cove, and the Downtown and posed this question. This was an extremely difficult exercise for many residents, most notably in the Town Hill area where so much of the past decade’s growth and development has occurred (in conflict with the intentions of the 1993 Comprehensive Plan). We also formulated a favorite places and distinctive features map at the sessions. The visioning sessions were extremely informative and assisted in the creation of the first draft of the Future Land Use Plan and the goals and policies related to growth management and regulation. The summer of 2006 was spent formulating the first draft of the crux of the Plan, the Goals, Policies, and Strategies (GPS). This draft was released at public workshops, and in October, a second draft was circulated, addressing many comments received by the early fall. The Future Land Use Plan was also released during this time for public comment. The Future Land Use Plan establishes the framework for future zoning districts and their accompanying regulations so this, too, is an important element of the Plan. With the second drafts of Goals, Policies, and Strategies and the Future Land Use Plan, we started a series of facilitated conversations with the Town Council and the Planning Board on these documents. The goal was to seek a majority vote on the documents. Ultimately, in December of 2006, consensus was achieved on the documents. The beginning of 2007 was spent preparing an Implementation Schedule, the Capital Investment Plan, and a Regional Coordination Plan. These three documents are equally crucial to the Goals, Policies, and Strategies and Future Land Use Plan because they establish the priorities for implementation and set goals for the funding projects contained in the policy sections. I-2 The Town Council accepted the schedule and plans. A request to edit the Future Land Use Plan and relevant policies to include reference to an USGS model predicting nitrogen loading in the Northeast Creek was also considered in early winter and additional adjustments were made to the policy documents. This Comprehensive Plan Update, then, is the completed final document, a culmination of more than 50 meetings with the public. It is staff’s intent, upon ratification, to work to implement this Plan as scheduled. Respectfully introduced for your consideration: Anne M. Krieg, AICP Planning Director Town of Bar Harbor, Maine I-3 To the Inhabitants of Bar Harbor: We the people of Bar Harbor, in order to form a more perfect Town, establish a sound basis for decision-making, insure the protection of our natural beauty, provide increased opportunities for work, promote cooperation, and secure the blessings of life in our Eden do ordain and establish this Comprehensive Plan. While this document may not be as critical as that of our Constitution, it will be very important to our Town for the next ten years. It will guide us in making decisions on almost all facets of public policy. It will shape our budgets, and inform our development. The Introduction explains the process used to construct this document. Consider this: over two hundred and fifty people participated in the work. The resulting Plan was not handed down from somewhere above but came from “We the people.” As with all such reports, there may be segments that individuals wish were different, but on the whole this Plan is a sound synthesis of the hopes and dreams of the people. It represents hours of thoughtful discussion, a willingness by many to share their perspective and knowledge, and an agreement to work together to make it happen. The success of this Plan rests on our shoulders. There is an enormous amount of work outlined in it, and it will only happen if we pitch in. There is a job in here for anyone who wants to contribute. Thank you very much for your participation so far. It represents Citizenship at its best. Now, let’s buckle down and make it happen. Sincerely, Ruth A. Eveland, Chair, Town Council ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There were many people involved in the effort of preparing this Comprehensive Plan Update and staff kept a list of people who came to meetings for the Comprehensive Plan. The people listed below deserve many thanks for their help, whether by faithfully attending meeting upon meeting or through calls, emails, or a stop on the street. The success of the Comprehensive Plan does not rest upon the professionals who prepare it, but by the people who spoke clearly of their needs and desires for their town: Mary Lois Alice Judy Allen Jeff Anderholm John Anderson Karen Anderson Robert Bahr Margaret Ballard Don Bell Charles Benore Robin Beule James Blanchard Ben & Ginny Blaney Michael Blythe Ann Bohrer Robert Bond Peter Bono Jennifer Booher Mary Booher David Bowden Gail & Edna Bowden Jeri Bowers Susan Boyer Jane Boynton Dennis Bracale Stewart & Melita Brecher Les Brewer Marian