WOODLAND, Maine – January 30, 2024 – Members of the Woodland Comprehensive Plan Committee prepare to mail surveys to residents. Pictured left to right are Lauren Chamberlain, committee secretary; Joe Chamberlain; Bill Thomas; Ted. St. Pierre; and David Hall, Chairman of the Committee. Not pictured are committee members Dave Morrow, Clifford Miller and Ronald Tracy. (Melissa Lizotte | Aroostook Republican)
Woodland, Maine – In 1997, Woodland adopted a comprehensive plan to implement citywide zoning regulations and enhance housing opportunities and other areas of community life.
But none of the goals of that plan were ever achieved. Now, a group of citizens has taken action to help the city move forward in the wake of the dysfunction that has often stalled local government.
It hasn't been easy for Woodland residents in 2023. Starting in March, their city office was closed for two months after employees resigned. Two new employees came in in May and reopened the office. But conflicts among board members led to board resignations and conflicts that led to the cancellation of several meetings last fall. The unrest left many residents distrustful of their elected officials and delayed one group's efforts to form a committee to update the city's comprehensive plan.
This group of eight citizen volunteers has since gotten the go-ahead from the Select Board and has met six times since late fall of 2023. The Comprehensive Plan Committee, led by Resident David Hall, wants to get resident feedback on city issues and then explore new goals. , which could include citywide zoning, building a new community center and better promoting recreational trails.
Although the comprehensive plan will not address issues specific to city government, committee members hope the plan will foster greater unity and direction.
“If you don't move forward, you're only moving backward,” said Bill Thomas, a member of the committee.
The state's Municipal Planning Assistance Program encourages municipalities to update their 10-year comprehensive plans, or create one if one doesn't already exist. For cities that submit their plans for state review, program staff certify that the plans are compliant with the Maine Growth Management Act. This designation often qualifies cities for state and federal infrastructure grants and economic development grants.
It's common for rural municipalities close to Woodland's size to go years, even decades, without updating or creating a comprehensive plan, said Tom Miragliolo, a senior planner with Maine's Municipal Planning Assistance Program.
Woodland's population was 1,217 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Miragliolo noted that many towns this size or smaller do not have the financial means to pay a consultant to help draft the plan and face a shortage of community volunteers.
Although state law does not require cities to create or update comprehensive plans, many cities that do often design plans with specific local goals, Miragliolo said.
“Typically, residents have a vision of what they want the next 10 to 20 years to look like,” Miragliolo said. “Every city has its own reasons [for creating a plan]. “One might do it for zoning purposes, another might want grants.”
In Woodland's case, members of the Comprehensive Plan Commission want to address the lack of citywide zoning, especially if residents view it as a barrier to successful development.
At least two-thirds of Maine cities do not have citywide zoning regulations, except those mandated by state law, such as coastal zoning, Miragliolo said. But comprehensive plans represent an opportunity for communities to reconsider their zoning.
In 1997, the Woodland Comprehensive Plan recommended that Woodland designate “growth areas” for residential, commercial, industrial and/or agricultural purposes to increase growth without losing the rural characteristics of the city.
At that time, the commission proposed creating the following zoning districts: Village, Rural Residential Agriculture, Trail Overlay, Resource Management, and Historic-Cultural Overlay. Currently, the only land use regulations in Woodland are the building code, coastal zoning and floodplain management codes.
But Hall said residents have consistently voted against citywide zoning proposals, a move he believes has hindered housing development.
For example, the city's current building code, passed in 1988, stipulates that all parcels within the city cannot be smaller than one acre. That and Woodland's lack of a public water and sewer system could create problems if someone buys a property they want to use as a seasonal campground, Hall said.
“[We could consider] Open back lot [of town properties] “For seasonal housing,” Hall said. “Let's say you grew up in the area and want to spend your summer here. You can't if you don't have enough land to build on.
Hall and his committee sent 500 surveys to Woodland residents, asking their opinions on zoning, roads, public transportation and other issues, such as whether creating a community center and recreation commission would benefit the city.
The city has traditionally held select board meetings and elections at Woodland Consolidated School, but was forced to use the city garage when the school restricted visitors during the coronavirus. A new community center could help the city avoid conflicts with school events and give residents their own space to gather, said Ted St. Pierre, a member of the Comprehensive Plan Commission.
The community center could also be the headquarters for a new recreation commission, something Woodland never had before. Because the city is a major link to snowmobile trails and boasts more than three miles of hiking trails, its recreational opportunities deserve more promotion, St. Pierre said.
The committee hopes to finalize the city's goals in the coming months, as it gets more feedback from residents, and then present a comprehensive draft plan to the Select Board by this summer.
Woodland may not be legally bound by this document, but committee members hope residents and leaders will enact more serious changes in the next decade.
“The community is who the city is. We don't want just two people in the city controlling everything,” Hall said [plan] “It is important for the city to move forward.”
