The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Maine Town Documents Maine Government Documents 6-2003 Town of Dennysville, Maine Comprehensive Plan Dennysville (Me.). Comprehensive Plan Committee Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/towndocs Repository Citation Dennysville (Me.). Comprehensive Plan Committee, "Town of Dennysville, Maine Comprehensive Plan" (2003). Maine Town Documents. 425. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/towndocs/425 This Plan is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine Town Documents by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TOWN OF DENNYSVILLE, MAINE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN June 2003 With revisions based on State Planning Office review for consistency with the Planning and Land Use Regulation Act The town of DENNYSVILLE 2003 comprehensive plan Prepared by the Dennysville Comprehensive Plan Committee: Dean Bradshaw Rick Jamieson Carolyn Mahar Mary McFadden James Sullivan Consultant: Washington County Council of Governments TABLE OF CONTENTS Page # A. Executive Summary A-1 Map 1: Location of Dennysville in Washington County end of section A B. Historical and Archaeological Resources B-1 Policies and Implementation B-8 Map 2: Dennysville Streets, Public Facilities and Place Names end of section B C. Population C-1 Policies and Implementation C-5 D. Natural Resources D-1 Policies and Implementation D-12 Map 3: Topography and Flood Zones end of section D Map 4: STATSGO Soils and Gravel Pits Map 5: Aquifers, Watersheds and Wetlands Map 6: Land Cover Map 7: Critical Resources Map 8: Marine Resources E. Employment and Economy E-1 Policies and Implementation E-11 F. Housing F-1 Policies and Implementation F-12 G. Recreation, Scenic Resources and Open Space G-1 Policies and Implementation G-5 H. Transportation H-1 Policies and Implementation H-8 I. Public Facilities and Services I-1 Policies and Implementation I-12 J. Fiscal Capacity J-1 Capital Improvement Plan J-4 K. Land Use K-1 Proposed Land Use Districts K-4 Policies and Implementation K-9 Map 9: Land Use and Zoning end of section K Map 10: Proposed Land Use L. Town Survey Results L-1 Appendix A – State Policies App A-1 Appendix B – Charts of Public Survey Results App B-1 Appendix C – Regional Census Data App C-1 Appendix D – State Planning Office growth area designation exemption letter App D Section A Executive Summary A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Municipal comprehensive planning promotes the types development that residents want, preserves the resources that residents value, supports the local economy, and suggests costs savings for municipal facilities and services. This comprehensive plan was developed through the efforts of Dennysville residents and presents suggestions for the town to consider based on an inventory of our resources and trends in local and regional development. A comprehensive plan is not an ordinance; its suggestions are advisory and non-binding. Any ordinances the town would like residents to consider must be voted on separately. History The history of Dennysville is substantially based upon the natural resources that drove the local and regional economy, including forestry, shipbuilding, agriculture and the sea. Early residents engaged successfully in a variety of businesses. Many current residents can trace their families back to the Town’s early days. Dennysville still enjoys many of the benefits from our past, as a small town with a strong sense of community, where people look out for one another. While encouraging compatible development, the Town should seek to maintain a link to our heritage through the protection of historically significant buildings and locations, and will collect and maintain the town’s historic records. Population The population of Dennysville has declined over the last ten years and over the long term. Our population is aging and the number of school age children has declined. As with Washington County, our town has seen a decrease in the average household size. More retirees and single parent households are found. Limited employment opportunities help explain the decline in the numbers of young families residing in Dennysville. The town should continue to make available demographic information to residents and should remain mindful of the needs of the changing population. Natural Resources Dennysville currently offers protection to its natural resources with locally adopted shoreland zoning regulations. These ordinance provisions will be updated to be consistent with the minimum requirements of state and federal regulations as is mandated. In order to offer protection to the town’s water supply, a regional effort is necessary. Aquifer protection performance standards are to be included in the local land use ordinance and provided when applicable to neighboring communities. Economy The top four sectors of employment for Dennysville residents in order are: ‘Education, health and social services’; ‘Manufacturing’; ‘Retail trade’; and ‘Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries’. A-1 Section A Executive Summary The residents of Dennysville are relatively less affluent than residents of Washington County as a whole. With the aging of our population, the size of our workforce will continue to decrease. Living in a rural area limits employment opportunities and increases the costs of commuting to the service centers where most jobs are located. Our local government will strive to encourage and maintain appropriate commercial development that will better employ residents. Growth and development will be channeled to areas of town capable of handling development while incurring minimal costs and impacts to the municipality. The town will continue to encourage responsible commercial development through land use regulations, regional coordination and marketing. Housing Affordable housing is commonly defined as not costing more than 30 percent of one’s household income. The data reviewed suggest that the cost of housing in Dennysville is affordable for most people in the community. The majority of people live in owner occupied single-family housing. Existing land use ordinances do not impose significant costs on the cost of building homes. There is a range of new housing in the town: mobile or manufactured homes are utilized often. The percentage of homes owned by those in the workforce is likely to decline further while the percentage of homes owned by retirees - both those from away and natives - will increase. Recreation Dennysville has many recreational opportunities because of the vast natural resources of the town and the region, and several important municipal recreational facilities. Some of the town's most important recreational resources rely on waterfront access, which we have and should continue to seek to maintain and improve. Transportation Transportation linkages in Dennysville consist primarily of US 1 and State Route 86. Our town is reliant on its road network as the primary means of transportation movement. Therefore, local roads should provide safe, reliable access to work, school, stores, and residences. Overall, Dennysville’s roadways are in fair condition. Given limited funding and the significant expense, the town has done a noteworthy job of maintaining its roads. Continued proper and affordable maintenance of the road network in Dennysville will be in the best interest of all residents. Since MDOT has jurisdiction over most main roads and bridges within Dennysville, the town will continue to communicate and cooperate with the department. The town has a paving schedule for roads that are currently unpaved and requires all new roads to be constructed to specific municipal standards. Public Facilities and Services Through proper maintenance and investment, Dennysville’s public facilities and services have remained in overall good condition. Although the town has not previously established a formal Capital Improvement Plan, they have provided reserve accounts for many necessary items. Prudent management decisions at the local level have prevented the town from being forced to A-2 Section A Executive Summary make large capital investments within one tax year. However, there are issues that do need to be addressed to eliminate possible future repercussions. These issues include construction of a town office and promotion of the recycling program. Fiscal Capacity Dennysville has been doing very well in managing its finances over the last five years and the mil rate has remained within a consistent range. The town has not had a total town-wide revaluation for over twenty years and the town’s current state certified assessment ratio is 73 percent of market. Accordingly, Dennysville is preparing to conduct a revaluation in the near future by placing monies in a reserve account to pay for a professional contractor to perform the revaluation. In the past, the town has successfully managed its local budget for public expenditures and been successful in garnering grants to help improve roads and local housing stock. A Capital Improvement Plan is part of this Comprehensive Plan and will assist the town in meeting resident’s goals for the next five to ten years. Land Use Dennysville has experienced modest commercial and residential growth along the US 1 corridor, including many home based businesses. This growth is distributed throughout the village and along the corridor. Retrofitting of historic structures