WALES – The Comprehensive Plan Committee will hold a final public hearing on its plan at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, at Wales Elementary School
Copies of the plan and plan highlights are available for review at the Town Office. Both documents can also be found on the town’s Web site: www.rootsweb.com/~mecwales.
The committee has made several changes to the plan based on comments at the February supper forum:
• In the water quality section, language was added to encourage use of buffers to reduce phosphorus export in the Sabattus Pond watershed.
• A new strategy was added in the public facilities and services section to allow the town to develop an impact fee ordinance to assist in constructing classrooms at Wales elementary and/or Oak Hill schools should development pressures threaten to exceed their capacities.
• A new strategy in the public facilities and services section is in response to comments that the town needs to communicate more effectively with residents.
• A strategy in the land use section has been modified to recognize the importance to the town of long-term landowners and allow them to develop larger subdivisions in the areas outside the designated growth zones.
The comprehensive plan creates three zones or districts. The growth zone has two locations, one in the northwest part of town on Pond and Centre roads.
The limited rural zone also has two locations, one on Sabattus Mountain and the other on Oak Hill. The general use zone, includes all of the remaining land in town.
Strategies in the plan encourage new development to go to the growth zone and to place some restrictions on development in the other zones.
The committee will ask the town to adopt the comprehensive plan at the June 12 town meeting. Anyone with questions should contact a committee member and/or attend the public hearing.
Flood plain
Municipal officials will also discuss the proposed floodplain management ordinance. Wales is the only town in Androscoggin County that has not adopted a flood plain management ordinance and joined the flood insurance program.
After adopting an ordinance, residents in the flood plain of Sabattus Pond, Jock Stream and other water bodies will have the option of obtaining flood insurance.
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