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COASTAL ZONE INFORMATICiN CET'JITER M REHEN IVE A @01N@010@310 s PL@AIM F 29 .B74 B69 1974 TABLE OF CONTEUTS Page(s) Acknowledgements .................................. I Introduction ...................................... 2-4 History of Bowdoinharl ............................. 5-7 Regional Settinj.@ .................................. 8 Natural Resources ................................. 9-10, Po-oulation and Housing ............................ 11-12 Business and Industry ............................. 13-IL-!. Tax Base ...... o ................................... 15-16 Traffic and Transportation .................. o ..... 17 Government.. ...................................... 18-19 Community Services .............. o ................. 20-21 Recreation ............................. oo ......... 22-23 The Plan for the Plan... .......................... 24 APPENDIX I Planning Board Questionaire 2 August Group Survey 3 Land Use - Region 4 Regional Traffic 5 Land Use of Merrymeeting Day 6 Bay Wildlife 7 Duck's Eye View of Town 8 Town Land Use 9 Wetlands - Suitability for Wildlife 10 Soils - Suitability for Sewage Disposal 11 Soils - Suitability for Agriculture 12 Soils - Suitability for Building 13 Topography 14 Hydrology - Flood Prone Areas 15 Duck's Eye View of Village 16 Land Use of Village C@ 17 Utilities of Viliage 18 Land Subdivision Law 19 Cluster vs. Grid Subdivision Layout ;'0('0-ALRCE NOP co CO VENUE C-3 ILI @J- --Y ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Planning Board has tried to reflect the wishes of the citizens of Bowdoinhan, and wishes to thank them for their interest and ideas. The many hours of research, compilation of facts and data, drawining of maps, and sheer drudge spent by the SCOGIS and August Groups are gratefully acknowledged. Most of Bowdoinham's neighboring towns and cities have hired professional consultants costing many thousands of dollars to do what was done for Bowdoinham by these groups. The few hundred dollars spent to put this plan together came in large Dart from a Ford Foundation Grant by way of the Bowdoinham Conservation Commission. For this, and for sponsor- ing the moratorium on subdivisions, which finally gave the Planning Board the time it needed to write the Plan, we gratefully thank the Conservation commission. INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN What Is It? The Comprehensive Plan is a written statement describing what a town has been, what it is now, and what it wishes to become. As such, it serves as a guide to the Selectmen and women, the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, the Town Manager, the schools, Highway Department, Fire Department, Water District, etc., as well as to the potential housing or commercial developers; outlining what the citizens want their town to be. Without a plan, townspeople have no voice and town officials have little guidance or authority dealing with future growth. Through a plan, the present residents decide 'he future of the Town. The Plan is not fixed; it can and should be amended on a regular basis. What It Is Not A Comprehensive Plan is not zoning. Zoning ordinances, building codes, etc. are all adopted by the Town separately from the Comprehensive Plan. A plan is written in general terms. It makes no attempt to control the. way anyone uses their land. why We Need It Now 1. State law requires that the Town adopt a Comprehensive Plan in connection with the mandatory Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. Presently "he State has imposed mandatory shoreland zoning re- quirerments on the Town -and will continue to dictate i's use until the Town adopts a plan of its own. 2. Towns without Comprehensive Plans are unable to qualify for Federal- flood insurance money, and property in the -federally designated flood hazard area will be ineligible for mortgage loans 2 at, all banks. In addition, disaster relief funds wi11 be cut off if any disaster - not just a flood - occurs; and money for disaster clean-up will have to come out of municipal budgets. 3. Host of the towns surrounding Bowdoinham have adopted comprehensive plans and have soMe kinds of zoning. If Bowdoin- ham has neither it is leaving itself wide open to the kind of Crowth which could place undue burdens on our municipal services. New housing frequently costs the town -more in services (schools, etc.) needed than they provide in taxes. According to State law, every subdivision (i.e. housing development, etc.) must be approved by the Planning Board and it must, among other things conform to the Comprehensive Plan. If -there is no plan, the planners are left to their own devices, having no guidelines to follow in regulating subdivisions to help keep -the tax base stable. 4. Studies by the State, the Smithsoian Institute, and several environmental groups indicate that after 1-95 is finished, the Bath-Brunswick area will be one of 'the fastest, if not the fastest, growing areas in the State during the next 20 years. Bowdoinham is already experiencing rapid growth. If the present residents want to have a say in the kind of town Bowdoinham is going to become, this is -the -time to take the. first step and adopot a Comprehensive Plan Who Wrote The Plan? the Plan has been in the making for well over a year. In the spring of. 1974, the Planning Board. sent out its questionaire attempting to reach every family in Town for opinions on various land use questions that would have to be dealt n prehensive Plan (see Appendix 1). The following summer, ten local high school students, calling themselves the August Group, worked with the Planning Board and representatives from the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham, and conducted a follow-up 3 survey to obtain still more citizen opinion (see Appendix #2). Citizen participation is the single most important item in the development of a comprehensive plan and the August Group Survey and the previous questionaire gave the Planning Board a great deal to work with. All durinq the spring, summer and fall, the SCOGIS group, an environmental design class from the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham, were hard at work on an in-depth study of Bow- doinha. They were under the direction of their instructor, James Harley, a Richmond architect who had headed the same kind of study for Richmond's Planning Board. The SCOGIS qroup contri- buted thorough inventories of the Town's natural human re- sources, its land use, regional relationships, etc. in the form of some fifteen maps which qreatly aided the Planning Board in the drafting of the Plan. In December, 1974, a public hearing was held to give Bowdoinham, residents another chance to make suggestions on the Plan. Immediately thereafter, the final drafting of the Plan began. In its present form, the Plan is the result of much talk, listening, writing and rewriting. All the members of the Planning Board were included in the writing. Each section of the Plan has been reviewed, amended and endorsed by the entire Board. Regular Members: Andrew White Sharon Berry James Read Robert Jameson David Anderson Alternate Member: Wilhelmine Oakes HISTORY Bowdoinham was incorporated. in 1762 as the fourteenth town in the province of Maine. Local traditions tell of settlers here in the early 1700's, and records exist telling of settlers within the present limit's of Bowdoinham as early as 1623. Bowdoinham, in its earliest days, included all of present day Riellmond, and a large portion of the town of Bowdoin. Bowdoin was incorporated as a town in 1788, and Richmond, or White's Landing, as the to-vm was called years ago, set off from Bowdoinham in 1823. S"ince 1823, Bowdoin- ham's boundaries have remained essentially unchanged; lying about eight Tailes alono- the Kennebec River and Merrymeeting Bay, width of T)er'ha,,)s five miles. Bowdoinham. was one of the earliest shipbuilding centers on the Kennebec, and for several years at least, the town was a leader in that industry, which launched thousands of wooden shiDs to sail to virtually all the ports of the world. The size of ships demanded finally doomed the Bowdoinham yards. The town that in the earliest days fostered the shipbuilding industry in Maine ultimately saw its master builders -oack their tools and move to other yards and other towns with wider rivers and the ability -to build still bigger ships. Bowdoinha.m's first settlers lived along Merrymeeting Bay and on the shores of the Kennebec and Abagadassett Rivers. In 1765 townspeople built a meeting house overlooking the Aba-adassett. Governor 3-11hirley of Massachusetts authorized the purchase of glass windows for the building. In 1775, with k,@nerica in t-he throes of rebellion, the structure caught fire and burned flat, reportedly torched by Tories in the area still loyal to the crown. Bowdoinham Village, or Cathance Landing, was settled about 1800. The small landing soon became a bustling center for trade, providing tidewater access for inland towns such as Lisbon, Bowdoin, Litchfield, Webster and even Lewiston. Warehouses lined both shores of the Cathance River; while boarding houses, two hotels, private estates and more than two dozen stores, businesses and manufacturing opera- tions lined Main Street. Bowdoinham's population peaked in 1850 at 2,382, and for perhaps a decade more, the town enjoyed great prosperity. The 1860's brought America the Civil War, and Bowdoinham slid into a decline from which the town was never to fully recover. Young men went off to war, and shipbuildbrs moved to bigger towns where their skills were nut to a more pro- fitable use. Bowdoinham ultimately reverted to what it had always been at the grass-roots; a small-, a-ricultural community of self-sufficient farms. Residents raised marlket-crops, harvest- ed fish and ice from the rivers and wood from the forests; earning decent, if not extremely profitable lives. Bowdoinhan's only bank was robbed in 1866 Of more than @73,000., and. much of the town's remaining fortunes were wiped out. On the evening of December 14, 1902, fire swept through the village's business district, destroying nearly all of it. Fire struck again in March, 1904, and burned several more buildings on Main Street. Although many buildings of historical interest were lost in the fires, Bowdoinham residents feel that their town's history is a valuable and interesting one. Historical preserva- tion is an item of extreme imDortuance to the majority of Bowdoinham residents and there are numerous places of hisbori- cal interest in town, including mill and other historic build- ing sites, cemeteries, and discontinued town roads, which might be maintained as historical nature trails. 6 In order to insure the preservation of these remains of Bowdoinham's past, an Historical Preseinration Committee should be appointed b-,r t-own officials. It should include a member J-rom the Planning Board, one from the Historical Society, and two or three citizens interested in local history and/or archi- ture. This committee should identify theSe historical sites, develop an inventory and plan for the D--eservation of them in order to kee-o some of the town's history alive for future generations. REGIONAL SETMJTNG Bowdoinham is located on MerrymeetinE: Bay in Sa-adahoc County. It is considered part of the Bath-Brunswick Region, and is bordered by the towns of Richmond, Topsham, and Bowdoin. Its present role in the region is that o.-IL" a residential community with the majority of its work force employed in the industries of Bath and Brunswick. As part of the Bath- Brunswick Region, Bowdoinham has, until recently, been able to grow in a slaw and fairly orderly way. The opening of 1-95, however, is going to make the town Dart of a much larger region because of the easy accessibility to Portland and Augusta. This larger region inclu\ftel-, --reatest concentration of population and industry. This new accessibility combined with the proposed clean-uD of the Bay (under the state pollution abatement timetables) are major reasons why in studies by the state, the Smithsonian Institute, and various environmental groups, it is declared that the Bath-Brunswick-Nerrymeeting Bay area will be one of the fastest, if not the fastest growing areas in the state during the next twenty years. As such it will be subject to pressures for heavy residential and indus- trial-commercial development. The residents of Bowdoinham have indicated overwhelmingly that above all else they wish to see their town remain as much as possible as it is now; a basically rural, small town that U will grow slowly. In order to insure this, the town must con- tinue, through the Planning Board, to work with the Southern Mid-Cpast Regional Planning Commission to represent Bowdoinham's interests to the surrounding communities. More importantly, the town must adopt a comprehensive land use regulation ordi- nance that will enable it to withstand the pressures from the surrounding region that would cause Bowdoinham to become a highly developed residential and industrial community. 8 NATURAL RESOURCES Bowdoinham is unique because of its long and unspoiled frontage on Merrymeeting Bay and the Kennebec River, and be- cause of its two relatively unpolluted rivers, the Abagadassett and the Cathance. Other natural resources imDortant to the town include the flood Dlains of the Bay and the rivers. They and the other farmlands worked in the tcwn -orovide a valuable agricultural asset. The forests provide a renewable cash crop for those who own and work them. The swamps, or wetlands, with the forests and open water, provide an extremely important natural habitat for the wildlife Bowdoinham-is noted for. These natural resources combined with Bowdoinham's ample 22,000 acres and thinly spread population give the town considerable scenic beauty and a P@enerous sense of space - something very important in the opinion of the residents. Bowdoin1ham is going to have to work hard and plan carefully in order to preserve these im- po--tant natural resources. The opening of 1-95 and the scheduled clean-up of the Bay are Roing to make the Town's waterfront areas prime targets for heavy residential development. While this would be beneficial to the relatively few residents who own and wish to sell large sections of waterfront land in Bowdoinham, it would drastically alter the unspoiled beauty of the shorelands and ruin them as wildlife habitats and hunting areas. If the town is to maintain the natural state of its shorelands, which most of its residents consider extremely important, it is necessary to make specific Plans for the shorelands and to actively participate in the Coastal Zone Management Program which the State Planning Office is coordinating through the Southern Mid Coast Regional Planning CD Cor-runi s sion. The state has now zoned all of Bowdoinham's shoreland with- in 21)0 feet of the water as a resource protection area. This means there can be no develoDment whatsoever on any property ngS 4 within this zone; even repairing of existinG buildi Ls not allowed. The state will continue to enforce this resource protection zoning until the town adopts its own re-ulations of these areas. The state also owns a 500 acre so-called Game Management Area on Reed's Point. Although it is called a Game Management Area, it was bought With money from the Department of Parks and Recreation. The town should make it clear to the state that it would like the land to remain a Game Management Area -- that it values the unspoiled, natural beauty of the Bay more than a camping or tenting site or a State Park and the kind of commer- cial development and traffic it would bring. The town and organizations with the ability to raise money shoIxId, wrorking with the Conservation Commission, buy land when- ever possible to preserve it in its natural state, since with all but the strictest shoreland zoning some degree of develop- ment will be unaVoidable. An even. more feasible means of insuring that portions of Town land remain in their natural state is the conservation easement. The Conservation Commission should plan -oublic hear- ings to educate 'u--ownspeople about easements, perhaps also havinr, written inf ormation available at the Town Of fice, and the Town should actively encourage as many residents as -)ossible to place easements on their land (shoreland or not). 10 POPULATION AND HOUSING Bowdoinham has a population of approximately 1,400 people living in approximately 400 single family homes, 50 mobile homes, and a few multiple family houses. More new houses are being built every year. In 1971 and 1972 there were less than 10 new homes per year, in 1973 there were twelve, and from April 30 1974 until January 1, 1975 there have been thirty new homes! The mobile home rate has remained. fairly steady at about ten per year since 1970. Bowdoinham is considered a desirable place to live because of its sense of space and room for privacy, because of the scenic beauty and sports oppor- tunities offered by the Bay and the rivers, because of the town's membership in a School Administrative District, and because land values have remained comparatively low due in large part to the pollution of the Bay. So far tqhe rate of growth has not been so fast as to place an undue burden on existing services in the Town. With the opening of I-95 and the clean-up of the Bay, however, this may no longer be the case. The Town will become a desirable place to a much larger number of people. The majority of people presently living in Town wisely feel that Bowdoinham should grow slowly. This is the most obvious way to insure that services in the Town will not be radically overburdened, that the character of the Town will not change drastically, and that the present residents won't suddenly find themselves outnumbered. The Town has to do more than want slow, controlled growth, however, it has to take steps to insure it. The best means of doing this is the formulation and adoption of a complete land use regulation ordinance for the Town. It should include such things as a larger minimum lot size (the majority of residents now appear to favor one acre in the village area and two acres in the outlying areas), expansion of the building code to cover set-back and building tpyes (sinqle-family, apartment houses, condominiums, etc.) and continued strict enforcement of the 11 State Plumbing Code, with perhaps the adoption of a plu-mbing code for Bowdoinham stricter than the State's because of the notoriously poor conditions here for sewage disposal. Parts of the above might be considered inconsistent- with sonme people's views of the rights of individual property owners, but they are vitally necessary if the present residents are to have any voice in the future of their town. The State too realizes the importance of slow and controlled growth and acknowledCes that probably nothinF has a Creater impact physically or economically on a community than a large subdivision. For this reason, there is a State of Flaine law requiring that all subdivisions be approved or disapproved by local Planning Boards. The law can be found in Appendix 18. Bowdoinham. is presently under constant pressure from developers who wish to subdivide large areas of land into house lots. The townspeople are well aware of and concerned about the negative impact a shoddy development could have on the town, and conse- quently adopted a moratorium on subdivisions to be in effect until July 15, 1975 or until the town adoPts a Comprehensive Plan, whichever comes first. The Town Subdivision Ordinance should be rewritten by the Planning Board and presented to the Town in an upgraded form as soon as nossible. It should include such things as mandatory financial proof from a developer that he/she has adequate -means of completing a proposed development and will not leave the Town to Dick uD the Dieces of an unfinished subdivision. There should also be sDecial encouragement for cluster as opposed to grid type layouts in subdivisions to kee-o costs to the ToiAm down on any future street maintenance and water and sewer systuen exten- sions and to nreserve as much open space as -ooss-ilble. A town cannot legally banish subdivisions and the kind of rapid Crowth they bring, but throu- a well-written subdivision ordinance it can control them and provide for them to be incorrorated into the Town with little or no negative impact. 12 BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY Bowdoinham presently has two small industries employing under fifty people. As previously stated, the majority of towns-people earn their livings in the business and industry of Bath and Brunswick. The Town has an Industrial Board, the purpose of which is to encourage industry in Bowdoinham. The Board also owns and manaCes the building presently housing Sir- Gal Footwear. Until now Bowdoinham has lacked the resources (except the railroad) which attract industry. With the expanded Town water system, the -perhaps unavoidable need for a municipal sewer system in the not too distant future and the completion of a ma2or highway transversin- the Town, Bowdoinham is going 4- L.o be a Drime tarcet for industrial and co--Lmercial develoDment. It miFht seem contradict-ory that most townspeople feel U Unat the nost important factor in planning Bowdoinham's future is the preservation.of its rural small-town atmosphere and that, at the same time a majority of those interviewed also said they favored more industry for the Town. These two points of view can probably be resolved however, if in any land use regulation the Town adopts, provision is made for discouraging heavy, polluting industry, and. uncontrolled development, but leaving CD sections of the Town available for light non-pollutinc., industry that would not spoil the character of the Town. The reason many people feel industry should be encourarred in Bowdoinham (other than to broaden the tax base) seems to be that they would like to work in Town. If more people are working in Town, more small service businesses will be desirable or necessary a hardware store, a small restaurant, a drug store perhaps and they would also hel-D to provide Jobs. The logical location for these small service businesses would be as close as possible to the existin@7 village, perhaps incorpor- atinE, some of the older unused build4nSs on Main Street to -pre-:,-ent 13 them from falling into complete disuse. This would create a viable center for the Town, a walking village, something a number of residents, especially older ones, have indicated they would like to see. The location of industrial buildings has to be determined to a certain extent b-v the availibility of the soil to support heavy structures (see Map 'Where possible, howe-,rer, the most logical location for small hirrh quality industrial esta- blisIuments would be a limited area to +the West ol' the villac@e. They would then be close to the water and future sewa-e 'Lines and close enough to 1-95 so existing town roads would no. be over-burdened. Mainly, whatever amount of industrial-commercial development Bowdoinham. decides to allow would be kept in essen- L-1-ially one area, thereby preservinr the rural char er of the 4 CD act outlying regions of town and maintaining the small-town atmos- phere of the town as a whole as much as possible. Businesses and industry usually bring advertisinC@. and since billboards and outdoor signs are not in keeping with the small rural atmosDhere desired by the townspeople, a sign ordinance should be written and adop-'V--ed by the Town before [email protected] becomes a problem. Such an ordinance should not restrict indivi- duals from reasonably advertising their own p-roperty. 14 TAX BASE The property tax is the principal source of the Town's in- come, and since the commercial and industrial base is quite low, the bulk of the tax burden falls on the individual residential property owner. Real estate is apraised for tax purposes at approximately 75% of market value and assessed at 30 mills ($30 per $1000 of valuation). One often hears the argument that new houses increase tax revenues and therefore lower the tax base for all the taxpayers. This can only be true however if the property produces more in tax revenue than it consumes in public services. The following calculations are based on 1974 figures provided by the Town Office, Regional Planning Commission and School District. Statistics Number of homes (houses and mobile homes) .................. 450 Number of children in school ............................... 438 Operatinq Budget (all expenses except schools) ............. 66,000 School Budget (Bowdoinham's share) ......................... 71,000 The average family in Sagadahoc County has 1.4 children, 1.2 of which are in school. DEBITS Calculation 1. Increased services consumed per new home ................. $167 (66,000 450 homes) 2. Increased school tax per new home ........................ $468 (271,000 + 438 x 1.2 children) Total services consumed per average new home ................ $635 CREDITS Tax collected on the average new house....................... $510 Tax collected on the average new mobile home................. $150 Therefore, the average new home built in Bowdoinham increases tax revenues by $510, but it consumes $635 in services. The aver- age new mobile home consumes the same amount, but brinqs in only $150. Last year there were 30 new homes and 10 new mobile homes in Bowdoinham. As lonq as Bowdoinham's tax revenues are based on the per- sonal property tax, the tax burden on all will continue to rise if increased tax revenues do not exceed increased costs. This 15 will only happen if new home construction is comprised of a mix of all price ranges to bring, the average tax revenue on each up to the estimated $635 level. To insure this, a subdivision ordi- nance which encourages a good mix of all housing types - low, medium, and high priced - should be formulated by the Planning Board and adopted by the Town. 16 TRAFFIC AND TE-ANSPORTA!1I ION Traffic is not a Droblem in Bowdoirha,,Tl presently. There is some through traffic on the River Road (Route #24) and the Post Road (Route -,-'1138), and heavier thrcugh traffic skirts Bowdoinham on Route l,Z201 from Brunswick to Augusta. Transpor- tation is entirely by private vehicle, except for the Gardiner to Brunswick and Bath Iron Works buses and the taxi service available from Brunswick. The projected average daily traffic on 1-95 throuF U Cj gh Bow- doinham is well over 10,000 vehicles. This is based on the fact that 1-0,5 will be shorter and cheaper from Portland to Augusta than the Maine Turnpike, and much easier than Route #201. Bow- doinham is bound to feel the pressures for the develoDm-ent of services needed to accommodate this larc-e volume of traffic. C; InterchanCes demand services like restaurants, -as stations, garages, motels, and hotels. While these thin-s may provide cer- tain benefits to the Town, unless their location and development are carefully planned and controlled, they could create an un- sightly commercial strip development and the traffic Generated u thereby could place a dangerous burden on the 1-Down's roads. In order to preserve Bowdoinhan's small town at-mosphere in terms of its roads, residents must make it explicitly clear in a land use regulation ordinance Just how much, if any, of these highway generated services they want, and where. Also, it became apparent in the ar-uments, Dro and con re- garding a possible dump site, that local residents didn't want their road naved for the dump or any other reason. Bowdoinham, has relatively few gravel roads, but if residents feel that they like these roads as they are and do not wish to have them pa-ved, this too should be made known and incorDorated in a comprehensive land use regulation ordinance. 17 GOVERNMENT Bowdoinham has a town meeting system of government with three elected Selectmen and women and an appointed part-time Town Manager. This form of government by nature demands a certain amount of citizen participation. There seems to be a need, however, for more positive accessibility to and a greater understanding of the various government groups and offices and how they function. To accomplish this, the Conservation Commi- ssion, Planning Board, Finance Committee, Selectmen and women, etc. should meet on a regular basis at appointed times and places. These meetings should be well-publicised and residents should be encouraged to attend, have items added to the agenda (in advance) and in general to speak out and let their questions and feelings be known. Some groups of course are already operatin on such a basis and they should be enouraged to continue to do so. School Board members should be invited to speak, on a regular basis (perhaps through the P.T.C.) and to report on the activi- ties of the S.A.D. as well as to learn the wants and needs of Bowdoinham residents and to make these known to the S.A.D. Board and administration. Accurate minutes of all of these groups should be kept on file in the Town Office and should be readily available for public inspection. This file should also include all other public records. The most effective means of making a thorough understanding of Bowdoinham's government readily available would be the publi- cation of a booklet containing a complete list and description of each elective office, each committee and group and their function. Such a booklet could perhaps be founded in a manner similar to the SCOGIS participation in the Comprehensive Plan and/or could perhaps be the work, (and very educational too) of a local school government class or interested group of students. It would be an extremely valuable aid in increasing, the under- standing among citizens as well as among the involved branches 18 of government themselves. It would also be extremely helpful to have on hand at the Town Office to channel inquiries and problmes properly. 19 COMMUNITY SERVICES Services provided or supported by Bowdoinham tax revenue include: fire and police protection, schools, road maintenance, a dump, various health services and a library. These services are generally considered adequate at the Present time with a few exceptions. The volunteer fire department received a tre- mendous vote of confidence from the majority of the townspeople who responded to the interviews and questionaires. It is an example of the public spiritedness and ability to cooperate that seems to characterize Bowdoinhan, residents. Police protection is now provided for through the county and state, and although there have been no serious problems, most people seem to feel a need for better protection. Schools in town are barely ade- quate, and in the case of the Coombs School, perhaps even danger- ous. With the new addition to the Community School however, the physical deficiencies in the school system should be alleviated. Road conditions and maintenance are considered by about half the people to be adequate and by half not. Improvement should pro- ceed as the Town is willing to pay. The Town dump is definitely not adeauate and Town officials are in the process of finding a location suitable for a sanitary landfill dump to replace the present openburning system, as demanded by, State law. Most of the people responding to questionaires felt that the dump should be a regional one and. this possibility should be thoroughly expolored before it is abandoned. Bowdoinham contributes to and receives services from the Bath-Brunswick Mental Health Association, the Youth Development Center for Retarded Children in Brunswick, and the Jessie Albert Memorial Dental Clinic in Bath. It has ambulance service through a contract with Topsham. There are no permanent health facilities within the Town and no resident physician. The aforementioned items are all very closely related to population. If population growth is too rapid and uncontrolled, 20 municipal services cannot keep up and serious problems develop. The town should not grow so fast as to place an unreasonable burden on these services. The Town-owned buildings are generally inadequate for Town needs and are in disrepair. The Town Office is sufficient for the Town Manager's office and some meetings of Town officials, but there needs to be a regular meeting place for the various town committees and storage for their paraphernalia. The Coombe School building, might be, with some renovations, a possible location for the Town offices, library and meeting rooms. A study should be made, perhaps by the Historical Pereservation Committee, as to the cost feasibility of renovating the building for such use and the Town should inform S.A.D. 75 if it wishes to take over the building when its use as a school is discontinued. The Town Hall needs numerous repairs and a committee of interested citizens should be formed, perhaps through the Histori- cal Preservation Committee, to draw up a plan for repairs and a system, for raising money to implement them, if necessary. The proximity of these buildings and the parking space available makes them a logical choice for the location of/ a consolidated municipal sevices complex. The Coombs School and the Town Hall are both valuable buildings historically: some of the few Bow- doinham has left, and they should be restored and used at any Cost. 21 RECREATION There are several clubs and organizations active in Bow- doinham which offer recreational opportunities to young and old residents and the Town now has a Public Boat Landing. Most recreation in Bowdoinham is unorganized outdoor activity afforded by the Town's open spaces and undeveloped land: huting, fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, biking, skating, skiing and boating. There is a need in Town, not necessarily for commercial recrea- tional facilities, but certainly for more organized and indoor ones, especially for the young people. The Barbeque Committee which has done such a fantastic job in the past raising money for the school and fire departmnt, has realized the need for more recreational facilities and voted last year to apply a portion of Barbeque profits to buying land. This year they have decided that all the money earned will go to buy land for the Town to be used for recreational purposes. A large majority of the Townspeople feel that the Town needs more recreational facilities and suggestions have included: a drop-in center for kids, a skating rink, a swimming pool, and ball fields. In addition to the purchase of land, the Town should retain owner- ship of land taken for back taxes whenever possible --- it could prove extremely valuable in the future. In order to insure that Bowdoinham's recreational needs be met, a Recreation Committee should be appointed by Town offi- cials including a member of the Planning Board, the Historical Society, the Barbeque Committee, and several interested citizens. This Committee should compile a list of priorities and a plan and a timetable for implementing them. Other means for insuring recreational opportunities in the Town should include working out a scheduling system with S.A.D. #75 to make full (and non-conflicting) use of the new auditorium and other indoor school space for various group activities. Also recreational needs should be provided for in 22 any subdivision and not left completely to the Town. Developers should be required to set aside at least fifteen per cent of their land for planned recreational purposes. The unique combination of fairly inexpensive land, and the public spirited,farsightedness of the Barbeque Committee and involved citizens give Bowdoinham residents a unique opportunity to plan and control the future of recreation in their town. 23 THE COMPRENSIVE PLAN'S EXECUTION, IMPLEMENTATION RE-EVALATION AND REVISION A plan for the Plan is required by State law and by coMmon sense as well if people are going to know how to use it and if it is going to be kept current and relevant. It should be the function and duty of the Planning Board to see that the Plan is seriously considered by all, and that it be implemented when and wherever possible. Specifically, the Plan must be followed whenever a subdivision is built and when it is reviewed by the Planning Board. The Plan must also be followed if and when the Town adopts any type of zoning. The Planning Board should keen track of needed changes in the Plan as they arise and at least once every five years they should review the entire Plan, incorporating the necessary changes, and submit it to the Town for reconsideration and re- adoption. 24 t1l V1 This map shows the current status of land use controls for towns in t@,e Southern Mid-Coast f Regional. 'Dlannin7 area and which are in tbe immPdio@te of Bowdoinham. All -)diacent towns and cities except Bowdoin N C3 have already adopted some land use remulRtions to control growth. W141TEFIELD JEFFERSON L NCOL C& RICW WALDOBORO ALNA ... BLESORO BOWDOIN IBOWDOINHAM DEN EWASTL DAMARis GoTrA BREMEN A EDGEcOMB Ae /SOUTW IMIN BRJSTOL@ "NES C BOOTWBAY BAY 145R. V WALDOWRO EwwomjC 'S(XJTJ4PORT f H R WELL WIPP513URG V' 1 &* MONWEGAN 0 SATM-13RUNswICK ArZANrlo oeeA@y ECONOMIC AREA APPENDIX 1 In the spring of 1974 the Bowdoinham Planning Board sent out 400 questionaires to the townspeople asking for responses to a variety of land use questions the town will be facing in the near future. The above chart shows how the residents felt about each of the issues presented. Many people also volunteered their opinions by writing on the back side of the sheet they received. Although not recorded here, these have been noted and will comprise an important part of the planning process. Of the nearly one hundred people who returned the ques- tionaires, 7 were employed by the goverment, 29 were skilled or semi-skilled workers, 10 were businessmen, 1 was a farmer, 9 were professionals, 12 were housewives, and 19 were retired. 26 Results of 2/74 Planning 9oard Survey 1. Bowdoinham should: -emain the same 18 f or IR '/'I ; rrow slowly 73 7,4 be 11-arp.er 8 2. Villare lot size: Half acre 32 9%, One arre 1@4 rq Two acres 6 r, T-C-014 3. Rural lot size: Half acre 6 6% One Pcre 36 @8 Two acres C;O @4 More than two 2 P qT lo5y, 4. Mobile homes should be allowed: anywhere 30 31% certain areis 41 I+p trailorp,qrks ;34 nowhere 1 100% This is now irrelevant since no discriminatory restrictions may be vlaced on trRilers which are not rlaced on all other arnroved dwellina units. 9. V'e need stores. molle fewer samp 7 i7o 6. We need industrips. more 7 ??P4 fewer 3 3 same 23 P5 93 (-) ff, 6, 7. We need homes. more @34 61-4 Fewer 3 3 same 3 We need recreational areas. more 68 7 fewer s"Ime 90 1 D Cy'; 9. Property taxes are: okov 4 -1 too hig]" 49 9 Ao/, too low 92 1 7(y/. nj@ 10, New Tndiistry should be: in village area e. 26% outside village 54 6r) anywhere 10 11 not allowed 3 3 91 10CGI 27 11. New homes should be located: in villape area 11 IN outside vill:irfm 5? 61 anywhere 25 26 not allowed 1 1 7 17) @R 12. Dump shoald. be: town dUMT) 4204 regional diimp ()0 1 nux, 13. Do you feel we need - VPS 11/1 no better roads 49 52 71- - W@ better fire nrotection ?2 25 65 - 75 better police orotection 62 70 ?6 - -@o municipal water service 6o - 71 P4 - 29 munici-nal sewer service 58 - 65 31 - 35 municipal trash rick-up 3A - 43 lip - Statistical data on resnonlents: Employment Government service 8% semi-skilled & skilled 29 33 business peonle 10 P agriculture 1 1 profe6sional 9 10 @,ousewife 12 14 retired 19 23 7-7 163% Place of employment Tn-town 21 30% Out-of-town 48 70 @79 15N AEe Bracket 18 - 30 14 15% 30 - 50 -55 - 38 over 50 1@1@ 47 93 100% 28 APPENDIX 2 This survey was conducted in the summer of 1974 by ten local high school students who called themselves the August Group. Working with the Planning Board and representatives from the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham, they developed a list of 70 Bowdoinham residents representing an accurate cross- section of the Town. The Students visited each household and talKed with the entire family. While one engaged in conversa- tion, the other recorded responses to a few general questions, such as "what do you think of Bowdoinham's past, what do you like about the town as it is, and what do you think the future holds." The issues brought out were narrowed to those listed above. The charts show how many people were concerned about each of these issues according to situation, age and location. 30 5 IT U,&,l- Ot-4 5 OF FEC)F'LF- FV'IE=-V-JEP lDr-@VV kA rl 5YTHe Aq- z MA5 15MALL CA H1570FIC pRF5ffKvff Co CD@47KOLL YOUTH r@ff TOWN [4@ffc TDM@ M-A m M(DKff SMA rlka MONE 5F- I NPU57T@Y 0-1 N(D GfROV-@ PUDLIC A 110 f5E@175K E 1 -1 u gAn D GRC L-OC-A-T - I(DN G ff (f-,MCD L) P < bovv c c )> F 6) A m F p f5y THff- AL) < G) -5 MAL L TOV - - - ----------4 CCNT 7-ZOLLEF OUTH rKr- TOM XIEC TOWN IF 5w MORr- L- I C--+ MOFZZE '5ff FU:@,UC, ACC Eg E C-1 C13 APPENDIX 3 This map illustrates Bowdoinham's relative location in the region. Bowdoinham has always been easily accessible to Bath and Brunswick. I-95 will soon make it also accessible to the Augusta area. High intensity development is concen- trated in Augusta, Lewiston, Auuburn, Bath, Brunswick and Portland. Low intensity development tends to sprawl in a finger-like way along existing roads. This map is important in planning because is puts bowdoinham in a regional perspec- tive with the existing highly developed areas. 33 LIGUSTA --7-- lk 19 LEWISTON TJPNPI AIN. u 80 0011 S CK BATH 7 @OMPILIED FOR THE SOWDOINHAM PLANNING BOARD BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PORTLAND-GORHAM 1974 VIV RURAL LAND USE [REGIONJ SUBURBAN SOURCE:AERIAL PHOTOS AND U.S.G.S. URBAN COMMERCIAL- L IP40USTRIAL BOW ff -', I Ko, -.3--41 DOINHAM, 34 APPENDIX 4 This map shows the AVERAGE DAILY TRaFFIC FLOW in and around Bowdoinham. The projected flow for I-495 was based on the fact that it will be shorter to travel from Portland to Augusta via I-95 than the Maine Turnpike. Bowdoinham i s bound to feel the pressures for the development of services needed to accomodate this large volume of traffic. 35 AUGUSTA AUSURIN LrWIBTON A, 001 IV BATH sp '/P6RTLAr4'0 L z@ ..MF.L@m FOR THE BOWDOINHAM P ANNING BOARD BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PORTLANO@ooRkAm 1974 1 Y4@1 EGIONALTRAFFIC 'Ila 10,000 & OVER Acre Rr [REGION 5,000 TO 10.000 BOURCEIMAINE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION 3,000 TO 5POO -1,000 TO 3,000 TH UNOER 1,000 I -M,23 4 -A.LY TRAFFIC BOWDOINHAM 36 LEE ] APPENDIX 5 The Merrymeeting Bay Land Use Map shows the general patterns of land use in the area. The western side of the Bay shows more development than the eastern; this may be due to the existing transportation routes of the region. Bow- doinham's Posi tion on the Bay is a critical one; land use practices on the Cathance, Abbey, and the Bay itself can have a great effect on the Bay's water quality and wildlife habitat. The current growth trend appears to be "rural suburbia" spreading along the main roads into town from Top- sham, also on the edges of Bowdoinham village. When I-495 is completed, Bowdoinham will be more accessible to major cities and can. expect pressure for more housing, business, indus- tries. 37 r 4Y ESOEN 0 H A iA, ---------- BOWD IN OOLWIC T 'PSHA 8 TH COMPILED IF05P THE BOWDOINHAM PLANNING BOARD BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL 13ESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSITY NE AT PORTLAND-GORHAM lW4 COMM INDUSTRIAL LAND USE MERRYMEETING BAYJ HIGH RESIDENTIAL SOURCES AERIAL PHOTOS- LIEGE LOWRESIDENTIAL LN.RT. FARM LAND F-m-0,91-:@-71 OPEN LAND OWDOINHAM 38 APPENDIX 6 The Bay is a large freshwater -tidal Bay fed by 'he Androscoggin, Kennebec, Abagadassett, Cathance, Eastern, and Muddy Rivers. The two major rivers are the main contri- butors of pollution to the Bay, while the four smaller streams serve to cleanse the Bay, along with tidal action. The inflow of sediments and nutrients from these rivers has resulted in the build-up of extensive tidal flats. The vegetation on much of these flats is an important source of walerfowl vege- tation. The Bay serves as the northernmost stopDover area in the United States on the Atlantic flyway. Thirty six per cent of the State's waterfowlers hunt in Nerryneetinr Bay; there are also extensive smelt Lishing operations, both for commer- cial and recreational use. 39 RIC M 0 DRESDEN 8 WO HA 47 BOWD IN -411@ @ wit WOOLWICH T/_D' P S H"A --------- -......... BATH BRUN COMPILED FOR THE BOWOOINIHAM PL:ANNING BOARD BY THE ENV NTAL DESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSITY OFMAINE PORTLAND-GORHAM 1274 BOAT LANOING MERRYMEETING BAYJ ,@98AY VEGETATION BAY WILDLIFE 0D81"ELT CAMPS SOURCE ME DEPT INLAND FISH & GAME @FIISHWAYS # CHANNEL MARKER L..RT. I GAME PRESERV SIBOWDOINHAM I 111 40 APP=I)Ix 7 This Duch's Eye View Gives a perspective of Bowdoinham, the surroundin- areas, open spaces, woodlands, and buildings. 41 Al Piz- -- In Ilk all ILI 15 S @cp( 2P L '9e, 'Etj, V-,k, ,02 tr' J"'w 0 IcH T MPILEO FDR THE BDWoDINHA.M LANNING BDARO BY THE ENVIRDNMENTAL DEBIGN STUDID DF THE UNIVIERBITY DF MAINE AT PDRTLAND-GoRHAM 1974 -Mll WOODLANDS DUCK 40 S EYE VIEW ET-0--w-N-1 BDURCE: AERIAL PHDTO9 AND U.8.G.B. BUILDINGS OPEN SPACES LNDRTH BOWDOINHA 42 DIX 8 This r.,ia-o illustrates current residential, industi-ial, a--rid co-merc-Lal land use in Bowdoinham. Patterns of devel- opment beEin -to emerE7e. Past historic trends and present-day needs should be taken into account while planning and making decisions for the future of Bowdoinham. 43 F: Jaw l'O @114ml n 13 2z I all jr a m r m m12 2 E c I cW F2310 P 31 El0 0 r I r F 2 13AY AW 1-4 all to c C.r 31 if - 4-Ze-@4 0 2 D m 9 2 r 13,0 m I 2 Ro r JUN 10 Oq 3m < pt 'MCA r J, r 01 2 Li APPENDIX 9 This map sliows the wetlands areas in Bowdoinham classi- fied as important wildlife habitats. Boidoiifnai. is considered a prime wildlife area because of its variety, of environments: wetlands, agricultural lands, reverting fields, and woods for food and cover. More deer were taken in Bowdoirdiam one square mile from 1968 to 1972 than in any of the surroundin to, s. T0qn Bowdoinha,m's wetluids include the marshes, swamps, bogs, streams, wet meadows, ponds and potholes. They liot only store groundwater, but are important wildlife habitats. Miany wild animals, such as waterfowl, muskrats and fish, directly depend 4 on the wetlands for theLr food and shelter. Deer, hare and woodcock will be found in areas bord-erin- wetlands habitats. 45 .13 -4 a a .4 WAY m A 0 x 0 t3 m EM MG) 3 0 G) 1111 13 13 13 i 0 -f a m m 2 m M m cc m Mi ;qo m oo m M fl IV r c In 0 ;02 ') X 0 CA M 30 Fo 13 13 m c -1 < m 13 c RIVeR ROAD ROAD st m f) I@WAN ISLAr@a Wl LOLI 214A NA Ger"r" AMZA APPENDIX 10 Soils limitations for septic tanKs depend on the per- the depth to the neability of the subsoil and substraUm, er "-able, sloje, the flood hazard, depth to bedrock, and at 11 L sloniness. DeL,rees of limtation: S 1 _J 4- U indicates that 14 jr4 T, ar re e-sil, overcoe. Moderate indicates Ltations, ill iy, a I - Ti I U that , overcoming limitations is -e0qnerally feasible. Severe 'ficult o overcome and- the Lnd-icates that limitations are d i I use L the soiI for this purpose is questionable. Compiled C Or-__;4 -adahoc, Counties, rom the oil Survey of Andros n and Sa,' it is emphasized that this man is for -eneralized planning purposes and cannot replace on-site evaluation. 47 PIC, ml NO '0F, HA m WOOLWICH BAT. H DESIGN 13TUDID OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PORTLANO-GORI-MM IS-14 MPILED FOR THE BOWOOIN AiV PLANNING BOARD BY THE ENVIRONMEN AL LIMITATIONS OF SOILS LTowrj-J FOR SEPTIC TANKS SOILS SUITABILITY FOR SEWAGE DISPOSAL SLIGHT SOURCE: U.B.D.A. SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE MODERATE LN..T. MISEVERE BOWDOINHAM 4FT1 FE @TOIIEOT 48 Agricultural capacity is based on the limitat-ons of the soils, the risk of damage when they (the soils) are used, and the way they respond to treatment when used for the common field crops and pasture plants. Class I is soils that have few limitations, the widest range of use, and the least risk of damage when they are used. Class II is soils that have some limitations that reduce the choice of -olants or that require moderate conservation practices. All other classes have severe limitations. Compiled from the Soil Survey of Androscoggin and SaGadahoc Counties, it is emphasized that this map is for generalized planning purposes and cannot re- place on-site evaluation. G 49 XV iv@ All r a WOOLWICH BATH COMPILED FOP THE BOWOOINHAM PLANNING BOARD BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PORTLAN93 -GORHAM IEWI LIMITATIONS OF SOILS ET 0 W--N-:] FOR AGRICULTURE SC31LB SUITABILITY FOR AGRICULTURE SLIGHT [CLASS I ISOURCE! U.S.O.A. SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE MODERATE ICLASB I. I LNORT. 40 SEVERE (CLASS 111-IX IBOWDOINHAM, 0 0 F@=_ @FT 50 APPENDIX 12 Soils limitations for foundations relate to buildings _h. It iS With basements and not -more than three stories h4 I U, I depnendent upon slope, depth to water table, depth to bedroc'k,, erodibility, bearing strength, drainage, stoniness and -flood hazard. De- U 0 ._ i 4 _,rees of limitations: Slight indicates that limi- tations, if any, are easily overcome. Moderate indicates that overcoming limitations is generally feasible. Severe indicates 4 11qiCUlt to that limitations are dL overcome and the use of the soil for this purpose is questionable. Compiled from the Soil Survey of Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties, it is emphasized that this map is for generalized planning purposes and cannot replace on-site evaluation. 51 'ju WOOLWICH BATH _MPILED FOR THE NOWOOINHAM PLANNING BOARD BY THIS ENVIRON MENTAL DESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSI TV OF MAINE AT PORTLANO-GORHAM 18`74 Its LIMITATIONS OF SOILS ET o-w--N--] FOR FOUNDATIONS BOILS SUITABILITY FOR BUILDING SLIGHT SOURCE: U.S.O.A. BOIL C ... ERVAT.ON SERVICE MODERATE LNO.T. "'OSEVERE BOWDOINHA ----4 @F..T 52 APPENDIX 13 The to-,)orranhic ma-r.) offers a 'Leelin,,- for -the sha-0e of "ae land w-:th a defined de--ree oll" slo-:)e. 53 I Do Ric 41 ffff IL 49 67 ir Ir SH", '441 WOOLWICH BA- COMPILED FOR THE BOWDOINHAM PLANNING BOARD 13Y THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STUDIO OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PORTLAND-GORHAM 19W, SLOPE TOPOGRAPHY ETOWN SOURCE: U,B,Q.B. CONTOUR INTERVALOOFT, LN.RT. BOWDOINHAM 54 APPENDix 14 Flood prone areas are talKen directly from the Federal Insurance Admiinist-_-ation Flood Hazard Boundary Plaps and i,.iay not include all Snecial Flood Hazard are,---is in the community. After a more det-ailed study, the Special Flood Hazzard Areas ly shov,m on '.'--Lis ma-c, -!iay be modified, and ot-her areas added. 55 ra a 0 13 0 a 'O"WAY I A V J4 m 33 mi 2 m BAY OAD m -OAO _jl -n rr 0 34r@ m 13 m 0-0 13 Poo -0 m M c a 0 M> d(o n m 31 2 -4 ca 3 DAD n 0 SWAN ISLAND m . . . . . . . . . . . . APPLNDIX 15 This aerial maD shows in greater detail the villa-e of C-1 Bowdoinham. This shows open spaces, woodlands, and buildings, as well as the location of swam-os and wetlands. ;117 rm 57 s. aq, lux IT Z5@ a $IT 3. 0,01 Ll CIL colt" 7,JT) 41, e 7 Ij 13 I(f all COMPILMD POPI THE MWI30INKAM PLANNING BOARD MY THE ENVIRONMENTAL OEBIGN STUDIO OF THE LIN OF MAINE AT PORTLANO-CIORHAM 1874 WOODLANDS K'S EYE VIEW LVILLAGE] BUILDINGS @uc OPEN SPACES WETLANDS ORTH BOWDOINHAM11 58 F%;:; AZT- APPENDIX 16 '2his ma@) demonstrates, in @-_reater detuail, the more in- uensivel-,7- develo-oed areas of BowdoJ.n.h,-_m. The Patterns of .Uevelopment and Trends become apparent. 59 A. 42 am m it CEMETERY POINT RD 3 am 2 It Is it Ir COMPILED FOR THE SOWDOINHAM PLANNING BOARD BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN STUDIO Or THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT PORMLANID-GORHAM 18- RESIDENTIAL LAND USE FVILLAGE COMMERCIAL BOURCE! AERIAL PHOTOS AND U.S.G.S. INDUSTRIAL PUBLIC SCHOOL CHURCH TOWN BUILDINGS BOWDOINHA 60 appendix 17 This map illustrates the extent of the existing water mains and the proposed sewage system. Town water insures a pollution-free source of water with an adequate volume. The sewage system will allow residential development of land not permitted by the maine State Plumbing Code for individual disposal systems. The Site location of Development Law re- quires adequate provisions for solid waste disposal before it will approve a site for industrial development. more inten- sive development is possible in areas served by sewage and water systems because pollution is minimized. 61 maine Revised Statutes Title 30, section 4956 (Land Subdivisions)' 1.Defined. A subdivision shall be the division of a tract or parcel of land in three or more lots for the purose of sale, development, building. 2. Local regulation. When a municipality has established a planning board, agency or office, such board, agency or office may adopt regulations governing subdivisions which shall control until superseded by provisions adopted by the legislative body of the municipality. where a municipality has not established a planning board, agency or office, the municipal officers may adopt subdivision regulations which shall control until superseded by provisions adopted by the legislative body of the municipality, 3. Guidelines. when promulgating any subdivision requlations and when reviewing any subdivision for approval, the planning board, agency or office, or the municipal officers, shall consider the following criteria and before granting approval shall determine that the proposed subdivision: a. will not result in undue water or air pollution. in making this determination is shall at least consider: the elevation of land above sea level and its relation to the flood plains, the nature of soils and subsoils and their ability to adequately support waste disposal; the slope of the land and its effect on effluents; the availability of streams for disposal of effluents; and the applicable state and local health and water resources regulations; b. has sufficient water available for the reasonable foreseeable future needs of the subvision. c. will not cause an unreasonable burden on an existing water supply, if one is to be utilized. 63 D. Will not cause unreasonable soil erosion or reduction in the capacity of the land to hold water so that a danFer- ous or unhealthy condition -.may result; E. Will not cause unreasonable highway or public road con- Eestion or unsafe conditions with respect to use of the hi.7h- ways or public roads existing or proposed; F. Will nrovide for adeouate solid and sewa,@--,:e waste disposal; G. Will not cause an unreasonable burden on the ability of a -municipality to dis--)ose of solid waste and. sewage if munici- pal services are to be utilized; 11. Will not place an unreasonable burden on the ,@ibility of the local governm-ents to provide municiPal or Governmental services; I. Will not have an undue adverse effect on the scenic or natural beauty of the area, aesthetics, historic sites or rare and irreplaceable natural areasi J. Is in conforriance with a duly adoT)ted subdivision regula- tion or ordinance, comprehensive plan, development plan, or I - - - land use Dlan, if any; and K. The subdivider has adequate financial and technical ca-pa- city to meet the above stated standards. L. Whenever situated, in whole or in part, within 250 feet of any pond, lake, river or tidal waters, will not adversely affect the quality of such body of water or unreasonably affect the dhoreline of such body o.-," water. 64 The planninE board, agency or of.-Cice, or if none, the municipal officers, shall issue an order denyinc,- or .-rantin,7, approval of the proposed subdivision or Cranting ap-proval upon such terms and conditions as it may deer- advisable to satisfv the criteria listed in this subsection, and to protect and pre- serve the public's health, safety and general welfare. In all instances the burden of proof shall be upon the person proposin@- C-1 the subdivisions. 4. Enforcement. No person, firm, corporation or other IeFal entity may convey, offer or aCree to convey any land in a subdivision which has not been approved. by the planning board, agency or office, or if none exists, by the municinal officers in the municipality where the subdivision is located, and re- corded in the proper registry of deeds. No subdivision plat or plan shall be recorded by any rerr ,ister of deeds which has not been approved as required. Approval for the pur-pose of record- ing shall appear in writing on the plat or plan. No -public utility, water district, sanitary distr--'-ct or any utility com- pany of any kind shall. serve any lot in a subdivision for which a plan has not been approved. Any person, firm, corporation or otller leral entity who conveys, offers or agrees to convey any land in a subdivision which has not been approved as required by this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than 31,000 for each such conveyance, offering or agreement. The I'littorney General, the municipality or the appropriate municipal officers may insti- tute proceedings to enjoin the violation of this section. 65 41 CONVENTIONAL CLUSTER r IB HOUSES 13 ACRES *18 HOUSES PUBLIC LAND: 0 ACRES PUBLIC LAND: SUBDIVISIONS DATE DUE GAYLORDINo. 2333 1,',, 3 6668 14107 8255