[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]
KLMOUTH EMOGRAPHIC TREI@V 1987 zolvp HB 3527 135 F35 1987 3527@ 135 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Demographic Trends 1 II. Housing Trends 12 111. Economic Trends 23 IV. Land Uses 34 V. Natural Resources 41 VI. Schools 55 Appendices Maps Sewer Lines Areas of Local Environmental Significance Water Lines Aquifers and Floodplains Soils Suitability Slope Suitability Land Use COASTAL ZONE INFORMATION CENTER e- DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS 1. RECENT POPULATION TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS During the 1970's, the suburban municipalities in the Greater Portland region generally grew more rapidly than the rest of the region's communities. The overall population increase for Cumberland County was 12.4%; however, the population increase for the suburban municipalities was 30% (refer to Table 1). Compared to the region's suburban towns, Falmouth had the slowest rate of population growth during the 1970's. Falmouth's population grew by 562 people or 8.9% between 1970 and 1980. As a point of comparison, the urban municipalities of the region generally lost population during this decade. Falmouth was one of the suburban communities with a more moderately paced population growth between 1980 and 1985. It was estimated that Falmouth's population had grown to a total of 7,276 in 1985, which represented an increase of 6% since 1980 (refer to Table 1). The overall population expansion for suburban towns was estimated to be 10% and the increase for Cumberland County was 9%. The 1970's decline in urban populations was reversed with an estimated population increase of 6%. The population projections for the Greater Portland area indicate a continued growth in all communities. It is projected that Cumberland County will grow to 278,826, an increase of 19% by 1995 as shown on Table 1. The suburban communities are expected to increase by 25% to an estimated population of 92,532. Falmouth is expected to expand to a total population of 9,123 by 1995, which is a 25% increase over the estimated 1985 population. This anticipated increase is the median increase for the nine suburban. towns and it is identical to the projected overall suburban population increase. These projections are based on the past trends of the region and a continued level of favorable economic opportunity. C> 21, mc C= m C: -4 -4 rrDm 0 _0 V 0 W -4 2 c C: -4 )p -4 C) LrI 7- 4 Dc:. C-) @t m '4 U-t -ca -C. -@j w 0 to -4 G-3 m co cn tn to 4.. w w to Ln cn ca (D ;o = rri m rri cn :4 to C:> -tn -00 CO K) co to -4 -4 01 co -4 om co 4@. 0) to C* "a 10 C= ri cn ca 0 cm 0 = rn C) C:> La N C@ a to ra 0 -4 C:7 --4 -0 -M tn -tq '0 W O.P a C-) co CD o ca a) co co co ca M r- Ck No -0z rn 400 m =0 rn 0--2-4 rrl C-) mm 0 3, ;o -4 =0 z w rri ca )P@ -4 C- Co M PO to, r- @-4 70 4@ in in 'ca cn M @-4 ix 10 '0 p. 0 M.A. m w 0 0 m to ro 0 C> C, 0, at ag e -.t e- A- at at mrn -j -6 at 0 c @-4 Z r- (03 > in 4 0 X z- -C4 -,j W ca C.3 0 CD LA cm Ch C) M ca @4 -4 Z, co -4 to w (7) m ca CD ft 4@ CO 0 4@ ca CD 0 m = @, CA 0 to CO, co -4 C> QC3, -4 M E! t rn CON co rn M C; C', in io b, iv M co 0 " 0 M m m -0 w p m C) !o 0 co CA co 0 % tj -CA m ca to:t M -4 M -po lp CA 0 r4 C, Ln 0 CO 0 fl) 0 = M C,2 f,3 co L3 0 --4 'C" -W "-4 0 co W m ch coa (0 4@ j -4 C) C. ,j M .4 0 -4 CD cn rn to 0 m z ro co ):p fn J@ m Ln ro b-j in C, C:) cn fo m to M @4 at at m 2. HISTORIC POPULATION TRENDS Falmouth has shared in the expansion and suburbanization of the region. Between 1900 and 1980, the population of the Town grew by 5,449 people from the total population of 1,404 at the turn of the century (refer toTable 2). It is estimated that Falmouth's 1985 population was 7,276. The most significant population growth in the community occurred between 1920 and 1960 when the population increased by 4,434 people or 312%. The population increase each decade during this era was between 34% and 50 %. The Town's population grew by only 315 individuals during the 1960 decade. Since 1970, there has been a steady increase in the Town's population. TABLE 2 FALMOUTH POPULATION GROWTH 1900-1985 NUMERICAL PERCENT YEAR POPULATION INCREASE INCREASE 1900 1,404 1910 1,488 84 6.0% 1920 1,452 54 3.6% 1930 2,041 499 34.4% 1940 2,883 842 41.3% 1950 4,342 1,459 50.6% 1960 5,976 1,634 37.6% 1970 6,291 315 5.3% 1980 6,853 562 8.9% 1985 7,276 423 6.2% SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL POPULATION CLIARACTERISTIQ_S_ 1980 1985, GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE In examining the population figures for Falmouth, it is important to review the natural changes in the population as well as the migration figures. The natural changes in a population are defined as the difference between the births and de *aths in the community over a designated period of time. In Falmouth there has been a natural increase in the population during each decade since 1940 and this trend has continued between 1980 and 1985 (refer to Table 3). During the fifties and sixties, the number of births exceeded the number of deaths by ove1r 50%; however, during the 1970's the population was nearly static when the number of deaths almost equaled the number of births. Since 1980, the number of births has been approximately 14% greater than the number of deaths, so that the natural change in the population was again an increase. 3 TABLE 3 TOWN OF FALMOUTH NATURAL CHANGE NATURAL PERIOD BIRTHS DEATHS CHANGE 1940-1949 495 162 1950-1959 821 390 431 1960-1969 1,035 509 526 1970-1979 595 576 19 1980-1985 467 409 58 SOURCE: MAINE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, VITAL STATISTICS Migration has been a major component of the population growth in Falmouth. During the 1940's and the 1950's, the net in-migration (in-migration minus out-migration equals net migration) into the Town was 1,297 and 1,203, respectively. As shown on Table 4, Falmouth had the largest numerical natural increase in its population between 1960 and 1969 , and yet, the overall population growth was only 5.3%. The trend of in-migration was reversed during this decade when the Town experienced a net out-migration of 211 people. During the 1970's there was an insignificant natural increase in the population; however, 543 individuals moved into the Town resulting in an overall population increase of 8.9%. Migration into the community continues to be an important factor for the Town's demographics. TABLE 4 FALMOUTH POPULATION INCREASE 1940-1985 NATURAL TOTAL PERCENT YEAR POPULATION INCREASE MIGRATION INCREASE CHANGE 1940 2,883 1950 4,342 162 1297 1459 50.61% 1960 5,976 431 1203 1634 37.63% 1970 6,291 526 -211 315 5.27% 1980 6,853 19 543 562 8.93% 1985 7,276 58 365 423 6.17% SOURCE: GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE 4 Localdata on the characteristics of migrants is not available; however, the Internal Revenue Service maintains data on the migration patterns between counties throughout the United States. A review of their figures indicated that there has been a significant level of inmigration and outmigration occurring in Cumberland County since 1980. Between 1978 and 1980 Cumberland County experienced a net outmigration of 143 people (refer to chart 1 or the migration tables in the Appendix). Between 1980 and 1985, the County gained population with the largest numerical influx occurring in 1984 to 1985 when there was a net inmigration of 1441 people (refer to Chart 1 and migration table in Appendix). This represented a 66% increase in in-migration over the previous year. Cumberland County also had significant gains in its population in 1982 to 1983 when 944 people moved to the County, a 277% increase over the preceding years migration figures. According to the IRS, the majority of the new residents in Cumberland County move from within Maine or from northeastern states. Approximately 42% of the individuals relocating in Cumberland County were from within Maine, over 27% were from other northeastern states and 14% were from southern states. The pattern of outmigration from Cumberland County generally mirrored the inmigration statistics. People leaving Cumberland County relocated to the following areas: 43% moved within Maine; 24% moved to northeastern states; 18% relocated to southern states; and the rest of the outmigrants were distributed throughout the U.S CHART I 1530 NET MIGRATION FOR CUMBERLAND COUNTY 1360 N E 1190 T 1020 M 850.. ......... .......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... G 680 R A 510 ......... ..... ......... ........ ......... ........ ......... .......... ......... .......... ......... ......... ......... T 340 ......... ........ ........ *. ...... ......... .. ..... .. ......... 0 170 ... .... .... *.......... N ......... ......... ........ ....... 0- ... ... ..... -17 01L., 78-80 80-81 81-82 82-83 83-84 84-85 YEAR E3 NET MIGR ATION SOURCE: INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE 5 The statistics above substantiate the work of Louis Ploch, the Maine Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, who has studied migration patterns into the State of Maine by reviewing driver registration data and he has surveyed inmigrants in order to establish a profile of the new residents. Based on a random sample, Mr. Ploch has determined that 65% of the inmigrants to Maine were formerly from Northeastern states. Approximately 61 % of the inmigrants were from counties with a population over 250,000 or more and 45% of the inmigrants were from major metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more. Since the Civil War, most relocations in the U.S. have been based on economic factors. According to Mr. Ploch, economic considerations influence decisions to move to Maine; however, the expressed preferences of inmigrants describe a desire to live in municipalities similar to Falmouth. While the majority of inmigrants were from large urban areas, thirty-eight (38) percent of these new residents expressed a preference for smaller, less urban communities with populations between 2,500 and 10,000. Most of the inmigrants were generally seeking a quality of life in their communities that was a combination of small town amenities and a certain level of services. These municipalities were often located within a short drive of a larger community which offered a variety of services. According to Mr. Ploch-, there had been an assumption during the 1970's that many of the inmigrants to the State were older Maine natives returning - home. The driver registration data does not support this assumption. Less than o.ne fifth of the inmigrants were natives and one seventh were over 65. The , majority of the new residents were between 30 and 50 years in age. This shift in the demographics could have significant impacts on the composition of Falmouth's population. 6 3. AGE DISTRIBUTION The age distribution for Falmouth is shifting to an older population. In 1970 the percentage of the population under the age of 19 was 37%, just under half of the residents were between 20 and 59, and 15.5% were over 60 (refer to Chart 2). By 1980 the mix had shifted so that 29.5% of the Town's population J was under 19 and 21 % of the citizenry was over 60. This trend continues in 1985 when the percentage of youth declined to 24% and the elderly segment of the population grew to 24%. CHART 2 FALMOUTH POPULATION BY AGE 2000 1800 P 0 1600 P 1400 U 1200 L ..... ..... A 1000 ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... T 800 ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... 600 ...... ...... 0 ..... ..... ..... N 400 ..... ..... VF: 200 0 0-4 5-19 20-39 40-59 60+ AGE GROUPS Ell 970 E31980 01985 SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS. GENERAL POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS. 1970 AND1985, GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE, 1985 There has been a significant decline in the preschool and school age population in Falmouth since 1970; however, there are indications that the trend may be reversing itself. The overall drop in the younger population (under 19) was 608 children or 43% between 1970 and 1985 (refer to Chart 2 and Table 2 in the Appendix). The 0 to 4 age group declined by 68 children (15%) and the 5 to 19 group decrecised by 540 (29%) school aged children to a total of 1,336. When looking at these age categories more closely, there is a reversal of the downward trend emerging in the under 5 age group. The number of children under 5 decreased by 30% during the 1970's; however, this group has grown by 22% to a total of 386 since 1980. The 5 to 19 age group dec Iined by 9% during the last decade and has continued to decrease by 22% since 1980. 7 The most significant alterations in the age mix in Falmouth was the increase in'the 20 to 39 and the over 60 age groups. Between 1970 and 1985 the two age groups grew 44% and 78%, respectively (Chart 2 and Table in appendix). The 20 to 39 age group expanded by 21% (279 persons) during the last decade and has already grown 20% (319 persons) within the past five years. This segment of the population could equal the rate of growth of the elderly population by the end of this decade. The over sixty residents grew to a total of 1,445, which was an increase of 48% between 1970 and 1980. This segment of the population appears to be expanding at the same overall rate between 1980 and 1985. The over 60 age group grew by 20% to a total of 1,741 during the first half of the 1980's. The aging population of Falmouth and the influx of residents between 19 to 39 has significant implications for the Town's population and its services. The 40 to 59 age groups grew by 14% from 1,630 persons in 1970 to 1,862 persons in 1985. The rate of growth of this age group from 1980 to 1985 has been 6.3%. While this age category has increased over time, it has retained a constant proportion (26%) of the total population. When comparing the age distribution of seven area suburban communities to Falmouth, it appears that Falmouth has set the trend in several instances. In 1985, the 0 to 4 year and the 5 tol 9 age groups comprised a smaller proportion of the total population in Falmouth than in the suburban communities (refer to Appendix 2). The 20 to 39 age group was also generally larger in the other towns than in Falmouth; however, this segment of Falmouth's population has grown and has become comparable to the suburban distribution by 1985. Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth, and Cumberland have approximately 26% of their population between 40 and 59, while this age group constituted between 19% and 23% of local populations in the other communities. In 1985, Falmouth had the largest percentage (24%) of its residents over 60. Nearly 21 % of Cape Elizabeth's population was over 60 and the other communities ranged between 15% and 19%. The distribution of the Falmouth population by age and sex in 1980 and 1985 indicated that the male population was larger than the female population under the age of 19 (refer to Chart 3). After the age of 20, the female population exceeded the number of males in all age categories. This was particularly evident in 1985 when the female population was much larger than the number of males over 60. Falmouth will need to consider the needs of its aging population and the special needs of older women in future years. 8 CHART 3 FALMOUTH POPULATION BY AGE AND SEX 1100 P 990 0 880 P 770 U R 660 L 550 A 0 T 44 330 Vv 0 N 220 110 M.- I % 0-4 5-19 20-39 40-59 60+ AGE GROUPS BY SEX El 1980 FEMALES E31980 MALES E] 1985 FEMALES El 1985 MALES SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS, 1980 GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE, 1985 4. POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS The population density for Falmouth was 235 people per square mile in 1985 (refer toTable 5). This was the median density for the nine suburban communities in the Greater Portland Region. It was also below the mean or average density for the towns. TABLE 5 DENSITY OF SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN PORTLAND AREA* CAPE ELIZABETH 550 CUMBERLAND 258 FALMOUTH 235 FREEPORT 182 GORHAM 223 NORTH-YARMOUTH 115 SCARBOROUGH 255 WINDHAM 223 YARMOUTH 564 persons per square mile SOURCE: GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE 9 The 1080 Census reported that Falmouth had a total of 2,369 households and a total of 1,945 families. As of 1985, it is estimated that there were 2,777 households in Falmouth. The 1980 Census also reported that there were 883 households with children under 18 years of age. This was 35.8% of the total number of 1980 households. The Town's percentage was slightly lower than the Cumberland County figure for households with children, which was 37.7% of all households. While there were slightly fewer households with children in Falmouth, approximately 88% of the households with children in Falmouth were married couple households. This exceeded the County percentage by over 8%. The actual numerical count of children under 18 in the community's households was 1,698 in 1980 and 81 children were in group quarters. Falmouth had 458 single person households in 1980, which was 18% of all households. In Cumberland County, 24% of all households were single- person households. A total of 348 or 76% of the single person households in Falmouth were females. This local percentage was above the County percentage of 64%. The number of households with one or more persons over 65 in Falmouth was 696 or 28% of the total households. In Cumberland County the number of households over 65 constituted 25% of the total households. Again, this indicated a trend toward an older population in Falmouth. Two thirds of the elderly households in Falmouth were two person bouseholds and less than one third were one person households. The marital status of the Falmouth population over 15 in 1980 was as follows: 3,598 married or 64.89% of the total; and 35.11% are single, separated, widowed or divorced. 10 Table 6 Selected Characteristics of the Population Falmouth v. Cumberland County 1980 Falmouth Cumberland County Total Households - 1980 2,469 78,704 est. 1985 (est.) 2,777 - - Households with one or more 883 29,654 persons under 18 married couple family 777 23,599 male householder 11 670 female householder 93 5,124 nonfamily household 2 261 Number of Persons under 18 years Households Household or Spouse 2 Own Children Married Couple 1,461 44,221 Other family 165 9,600 Other Relatives 58 2,566 NonRelatives 12 811 Group Quarters 81 462 Single Person Households Total 458 18,612 Male 110 6,653 Female 348 11,959 Marital Status of Persons Over 15 Male Female Male Female Single 653 615 23,672 22,377 Married 1,792 1,806 47,822 47,861 Separated 15 27 879 1,361 Widowed 54 347 2,178 11,405 Divorced 89 147 4,787 7,422 SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, DETAILED POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS, 1980 1985, GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE TOWN 6A HOUSING TRENDS 1. HOUSING STOCK Based on building permit data, Falmouth had a total of 3,009 housing units in 1986 (refer to Tablel) and it is estimated that 2,897 of the total units (96.3%) were year-round units. Falmouth's housing stock of single family, multifamily, mobile homes and seasonal units has retained a relatively stable mix of housing types since 1970. As of 1986, there were 2,590 single family homes within the Town, which constitute approximately 86% of the total housing stock. The proportion of multifamily units to the total housing stock has increased from 7.6% in 1970 and 1980 to 9.5% in 1986. Mobile homes represent an insignificant proportion of the Town's total housing. TABLE I TOWN OF FALMOUTH TOTAL HOUSING UNITS SINGLE MULTI- TOTAL FAMILY FAMILY MOBILE YEAR-ROUND SEASONAL UNITS UNITS HOMES HOUSING 'UNITS TOTAL 1970 1,842 165 12 2,019 145 2,164 11980 2,329 203 20 2,552 112 2,664 1986 2,590 287 20 2,897 112 3,009 SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS 1970 AND 1980; 1985 GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the number of seasonal housing units in Falmouth has declined from 145 units in 1970 tol 12 in 1980 (Table 1). Seasonal units have declined from 6.7% to 4.2%of the total housing stock. The conversion of seasonal units to year-round units could possibly account for the decline in seasonal units. In addition, the number of seasonal 'units listed for 1986 is probably an understatement since the State's building permit data does not designate seasonal units. It was assumed that all building permits were for year-round units; thus, the number of seasonal units was constant for 1986 and represented a smaller percentage of the total number of units. 12 2. HOUSING GROWTH TRENDS The Town's overall rate of growth in total housing units was 39% between 1970 and 1986 (refer to Table 2). Falmouth's total number of housing units in 1970 was 2,164 units. By 1980 the total housing count had increased by 23% to a new total of 2,664 units. An additional 345 units have been added to the housing stock between 1980 and 1986, which represents an increase.of 14%. The pace of housing growth in Falmouth has been slower than for most suburban communities in the Greater Portland Region. The nine suburban towns in the region added 11,637 units between 1970 and 1986 as shown on Table 2. This represents an overall. increase of 64% for that time period. The total housing stock in suburban towns increased by 39% during the 1970's and it has increased by 18% during the past six years. The Town of Falmouth's housing stock grew as follows: 500 units or 23% between 1970 and 1980; and 345 units or 14% between 1980 and 1986. Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth were two of the slowest growing suburban municipalities with regard to housing since 1970. In comparison, the housing stock of the urban municipalities of Portland, South Portland and Westbrook grew more slowly than suburban towns. The housing in urban municipalities since 1970 grew by 22%. The growth during the 1970's was 13% and the rate of growth for the past six years was 8%. Thus, it can be seen that Falmouth's housing stock grew more quickly than the urban areas, but it expanded more slowly than surrounding suburban communities 13 TABLE 2 PORTLAND REGION TOTAL HOUSING UNIT CHANGE 1970-1986 1970-80 1980-86 1970-86 Numerical PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT 1970 1980 1986(E) CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE CHANGE URBAN AREA PORTLAND 25,393 27,962 29,895 4,502 10.12% 6.91% 17.73% SOUTH PORTLAND 7,150 8,436 9,486 2,336 17.99% 12.45% 32.67% WESTBROOK 4,697 5,632 6,125 1,428 19.91% 8.75% 30.40% SUBTOTAL 37,240 42,030 45,506 8,266 12.86% 8.27% 22.20% SUBURBAN AREA CAPE ELIZABETH 2,501 2,842 3j202 701 13.63% 12.67% 28.03% CUMBERLAND 1,506 1,981 2,360 854 31.54% 19.13% 56.71% FALMOUTH 2,164 2,664 3,009 845 23.11% 12.95% 39.05% FREEPORT 1,902 2,361 2,861 959 24.13% 21.18% 50.42% GORHAM 2,207 3,358 3,949 1,742 52.15% 17.60% 78.93% NORTH YARMOUTH 395 609 780 385 54.18% 28.08% 97.47% SCARBOROUGH 2,831 4,233 5,130 2,299 49.52% 21.19% 81.21% WINDHAM 2,833 4,469 5,227 2,394 57.75% 16.96% 84.50% YARMOUTH 1,719 2,652 3,177 1,458 54.28% 19.80% 84.82% SU13TOTAL 18,058 25,151 29,695 11,637 39.28% 18.07% 64.44% SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS, 1970 AND 1980; 1985 GREATER PORTLAND DATA SERVICE 3. HOUSING TENURE CHARACTERISTICS The Town of Falmouth reflects the housing characteristics of the suburban communities in the Greater Portland area. Both the urban and suburban areas have a very high percentage of year round housing units, compared to their total number of housing units. Another way to state this is that seasonal units do not comprise a large segment of the housing stock. In Falmouth there are 2,552 year-round housing units, which constitute 95.8% of the Town's total housing stock ( refer to Table 3). In 1980, 85.5% of the year- round housing was owner occupied and 11 % was renter occupied. TABLE 3 1980 HOUSING TENURE FOR SELECTED MUNICIPALITIES YEAR-ROUND HOUSING TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL OWNER RENTER HOUSING OCCUPIED OCCUPIED OCCUPIED URBAN PORTLAND 27,962 27,440 25,419 10,739 14,680 SOUTH PORTLAND 8,436 8,425 8,153 5,567 2,586 WESTBROOK 5,632 5,631 5,475 3,425 2,050 SUBURBAN CAPE ELIZABETH 2,824 2,786 2,706 2,378 328 CUMBERLAND 1,g8i 1,730 1,689 1,552 137 FALMOUTH 2,664 2,552 2,469 2,182 287 FREEPORT 2,361 2,209 2,121 1,601 520 GORHAM 3,358 3,350 3,217 2,565 652 NORTH YARMOUTH 609 607 595 517 78 SCARBOROUGH 4,233 4,056 3,905 3,047 858 WINDHAM 4,469 3,731 3,578 2,917 661 YARMOUTH 2,6152 2,561 2,436 1,577 859 SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS 1980 15 When comparing Falmouth to other Greater Portland communities, it was evident that Falmouth's tenure characteristics were very similar to surrounding suburban communities. The year-round housing in all of the suburban towns as of 1980 exceeded 93% of their total housing stock, except in Cumberland and Windham where seasonal units accounted for twelve (12) to seventeen (17) percent of their housing units, respectively. As shown on Table 3, a total of 2,182 units or 85.5% of Falmouth's year -round units in 1980 were owner occupied. This was the second highest proportion of owner occupied units among the nine suburban communities within the region. Only Cumberland had a higher percentage (90%) of owner occupied units. Conversely, Falmouth had one of the lowest percentages of rental housing and Yarmouth had the highest percentage among suburban municipalities. For comparison, the three central cities in the region had the highest percentages of year-round housing units and the lowest percentages (between 40% and 60%) of owner occupied units of their total year-round housing. 4. HOUSEHOLDS AND HOUSING AVAILABILITY In Falmouth, the total number of households has been rising. The increase in the number of households between 1970 and 1980 was 28% and the estimated number of households in 1986 was 2,842, a 15% increase over the 1980 figure (refer to Table 4). A household as defined by the U.S. Census includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit, which could include a single family, one person living alone, two or more families together, or a group of related or unrelated persons sharing a living arrrangement. The growth in the number of households has been greater than the increases in the Town's population. Part of the increase in the number of households in Falmouth can be attributed to the reduction in the household size, which results in a greater demand for housing units. The 1980 average household size in Falmouth was 2.72 persons. This was a decline from 3.3 in 1970. The 1980 household size for Falmouth was smaller than over half of the local suburban towns. A diminishing household size has been the trend for the region and for the nation as well. There were 1,583 families residing in Falmouth in 1980, which was 79% of the Town's total households. This was one of the lower ratios of families to households among the suburban communities. The Census defines a family as consisting of a householder and one or more persons living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. 16 TABLE 4 1980 PORTLAND AREA HOUSEHOLDS, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, AND FAMILIES HOUSEHOLDS HOUSEHOLD FAMILIES % OF FAMILIES SIZE TO HOUSEHOLDS URBAN AREA PORTLAND 25,419 2.4 14,578 57.4% SOUTH PORTLAND 8,153 2.7 6,091 74.7% WESTBROOK 5,475 2.7 4,153 75.9% SUBURBAN CAPE ELIZABETH 2,706 2.88 2,222 82.1% CUMBERLAND 1,689 3.13 1,455 86.2% FALMOUTH 2,469 2.72 1,945 78.8% FREEPORT 2,121 2.69 1,583 74.6% GORHAM 3,217 2.83 2,582 80.3% NORTH YARMOUTH 595 3.23 518 87.1% SCARBOROUGH 3,905 2.89 3,061 78.4% WINDHAM 3,578 2.97 2,913 81.4% YARMOUTH 2,436 2.66 1,782 73.2% SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL HOUSING CHARACTERISTC 1980. Vacany rates are the indicators of housing availability. The 1980 Census is the latest source for vacancy rates in the area. The vacancy rate for Falmouth was 1.2% for home ownership opportunities, which is comparable to all of the suburban towns. In fact, the single family home ownership vacancy rate for the urban SMSA (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area) was 1.3%. These are low vacancy rates which indicate that there was a greater demand for housing than there were units available. Falmouth's rental vacancy rate in 1980 was 4.0%. A comprehensive update of vacancy rates has not been conducted; however, the City of Portland undertook a local vacancy study in 1985. The City calculated a vacancy rate of 2.9%, which was considerably lower than the 7% vacancy rate reported for Portland in the 1980 Census. If Portland's declining vacancy rate represented a trend for the region, then the rental vacancies for Falmouth would also be lower. The low rental vacancy rate also indicated a very strong demand for housing. 17 5. CONDITION OF HOUSING The condition of housing in Falmouth can generally be characterized as excellent. Age is an indicator of housing conditions and in Falmouth over one third of the housing stock was constructed before 1940 (refer to Table 5). While this is a significant proportion of the community's housing stock, the other housing indicators for Falmouth show that the housing stock has been well maintained. The age of Falmouth's housing stock is more evenly distributed over the decades, thereby producing an older housing stock than some of the neighboring municipalities. As already stated, over one third (36%) of the housing stock in Falmouth was built in 1939 or earlier. Twenty-nine (29%) of the units were constructed between 1940 and 1960 and the remainder of the housing stock (35%) was constructed between 1960 and 1980. Most of the suburban communities have approximately 30% of their housing stock built prior to 1940; however, in these same municipalities over 50% of their housing was constructed after 1960. TABLE 5 AGE OF HOUSING IN FALMOUTH PRE 1940 1940-49 1950-59 1960-69 1970-80 OCCUPIED HOUSING OWNER 777 222 436 359 388 RENTER 110 23 47 37 50 TOTAL 887 255 483 406 438 YEAR-ROUND TOTAL 927 255 490 413 469 SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS, 1980. The median number of rooms per unit is another indicator of housing quality. The median number of rooms per housing unit in Falmouth in 1980 was 6.0 rooms as shown on Table 6. Only Cape Elizabeth and Cumberland exceeded Falmouth in the median number of rooms. per unit with 6.6 and 6.4, respectively. The other six suburban municipalities had less than 6 rooms per unit. 18 TABLE 6 CONDITION OF YEAR-ROUND HOUSING IN SELECTED SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES PERCENT LACKING PERCENT WITH YEAR ROUND MEDIAN COMPLETE ONE OR MORE OCCUPIED UNITS ROOMS PLUMBING PERSONS/ROOM SUBURBAN AREA CAPE ELIZABETH 2,706 6.6 0.6% 0.4% CUMBERLAND 1,689 6.4 2.2% 1.9% FALMOUTH @,469 6.0 0.9% 0.6% FREEPORT 2,121 5.3 3.0% 3.0% GORHAM 3,217 5.3 2.9% 2.1% NORTH YARMOUTH 595 5.8 2.7% 3.0% SCARBOROUGH 3,905 5.6 1.5% 1.7% WINDHAM 3,578 5.2 2.2% 3.1% YARMOUTH 2,436 5.4 1.5% 1.1% SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, GENERAL HOUSING CHARACTERISIICS, 1980. Less than one percent of the 1980 year-round housing units in Falmouth lack complete plumbing for the exclusive use of the occupant. Again, this serves as another indicator that Falmouth has a very good housing stock. Only Cape Elizabeth had a lower percentage (0.60%) than Falmouth. The remaining suburban communities in the Greater Portland area had between 1.5% and 3% of their housing stock lacking complete plumbing facilities for the exclusive use of the resident. Another indicator of housing quality is a factor of overcrowding. The Census criteria for overcrowding is one person or more per room. According to the 1980 Census, Falmouth had 0.60% of its housing stock with one or more persons per room. At that time, only four households had over 1.5 persons per room which is the criterion used for identifying extremely overcrowded conditions. Most of the suburban towns had overcrowding in 1.5% to 3% of the housing units. 19 6. ASSISTED HOUSING The Town of Falmouth has 214 assisted housing units. A total of 135 of the units are for families and the remainder (79 units) are for the elderly. Blackstone I and 11 are Section 8 new construction projects for the elderly which limit the occupants' rent charges to 30% of their total income. Foreside Estates has 135 family units and 35 elderly units. This project was financed through a mortgage subsidy program and some Section 8 certificates. Foreside Village provides 24 units of assisted elderly housing under the Section 8 new construction program. There are other Section 8 certificates available to low- income households that can be used in the private market. There are no pending proposals for assisted housing in the Town. 7. HOUSING COSTS The cost of housing in Falmouth has been rising. In 1980, the Census reported that over 68% of the 1,683 specified single family homes in Falmouth had a mortgage. The median monthly mortgage was $400, which was one of the highest medians at that time among the suburban communities in Cumberland County. Approximately 50% of the monthly mortgages were between $100 and $400, 33% were between $400 and $600, and 17% were over $600 per month. The median rent reported in the Census for Falmouth was $262. The 1980 median annual income of a household renting a unit in Falmouth was $8,500. The median rent represented approximately 30% of the median income of renters. The average sales price of housing in Falmouth grew by 4.5% between July 1981 to June 1985, which was the lowest percentage increase of all of the suburban towns. The average cost of a home in Cumberland County rose from $55,429 to $77,498, which was an increase of 40% (refer to Table 7). The other suburban communities had sales price increases between 16% and 41%. It appears that the average sales price of a home for Falmouth during 1981 and 1982 was an anomaly. Falmouth had the highest average sales price ($103,261) in 1981-1982 which exceeded the next highest local sales price by over $23,000. Between 1982 and 1983 Falmouth experienced a 21 % decline in their average sales prices. This decline brought the average sales price for Falmouth more in line with other towns, which could indicate that the 1981-1982 figure was skewed by one or more sales of expensive properties. 20 Falmouth generally has the second or third highest sales prices of the nine suburban communities. Falmouth experienced increases in the sales prices of homes of 32% and 11% in 1984 and 1985, respectively. The cost of housing in Falmouth has exceeded the County average by the following percentages: 86.3% in 1981-82; 43.1% in 1982-83; 37.8% in 1983-84; and 39.2% in 1983-84. TABLE 7 AVERAGE REAL ESTATE COSTS FOR CUMBERLAND COUNTY AND SELECTED COMMUNITIES 1981-1985 PERCENT 7/81-6/82 7/82-6/83 7/83-6/84 7/84-6/85 CHANGE URBAN AREA 7/81-6/85 PORTLAND $49,409 $56,904.0 $67,550 $85,546 73.1% SOUTH PORTLAND $ 4 6,6 5 0 $51,484 $57,377 $66,944 43.5% WESTBROOK $43,689 $46,931 $52,390 $60,933 39.5% SUBURBAN AREA CAPE ELIZ-ABETH $79,768 $82,826 $97,816 $112,442 41.0% CUMBERLAND $79,954 $71,234 $94,094 $104,745 31.0% FALMOUTH $103,261 $81,591 $91,538 $107,912 4.5% FREEPORT $62,650 $56,174 $38,742 $75,379 20.3% GORHAM $55,604 $56,474 $63,797 $77,644 39.6% NORTHYARMOUTH $70,346 $68,466 $68,025 $82,025 16.6% SCARBOROUGH $62,978 $68,354 $78,847 $87,452 38.9% WINDHAM $46,135 $49,113 $53,247 $62,763 36.0% YARMOUTH $74,676 $71,918 $85,398 $96,175 28.8% CUMBERLAND CO. $55,429 $57,036 $66,421 $77,498 39.8% SOURCE: MAINE STATE HOUSING AUTHORITY, REAL ESTATE TRANSFER DATA FOR CUMBERLAND COUNTY Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the following municipalities: Cape Elizabeth, Cu mberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Gray, North Yarmouth, Portland, raymond, Scarborough, South Portland, Standish, Westbrook, Windham, Yarmouth, Buxton, Hollis, and Old Orchard. 21 Falmouth has been fortunate to have a strong housing market; however, the median price of a house in the Town is now beyond the reach of the region's median income family. According to the Maine State Housing Authority, there were 77 house sales through the Multiple Listing Service during 1986 in Falmouth and the median sales price of a home was $125,000. The median income in the Portland MSA* was $27,500 for the same year. If the National Association of Realtors assumptions are applied that purchaser has a 20% downpayment, secures a 30 year mortgage with 9.75% financing and allocates 25% of the household income for the mortgage (does not include property taxes, home insurance costs, or maintenance costs), then a median income household in the Greater Portland region could afford a home selling for $83,300. Based on these assump@tions, there was a difference of $41,700 between. the 1986 median sales price of a home in Falmouth and the price of a home that is considered to be,affordable to a median income family. Using the same assumptions as the above example to determine the income required to purchase a median priced home in Falmouth, a household would need $25,000 for the downpayment and the monthly payments on a 30 year mortgage at 9.75% would be $856.19. An annual income of $41,097 is needed in order to purchase the median priced home in Falmouth. It must be noted that the assumptions used in these examples are very generous. If the assumptions are modified, such as less of a downpayment or a higher mortgage rate, then a buyer could only borrow a smaller amount of a money for a mortgage from a financial institution. Thus, a lower sales price becomes the affordable housing cost for a median income family. Modifying the assumptions is not unreasonable, since most first-time homebuyers are not capable of offering large downpayments, mortgage rates fluctuate, or a family is not capable of allocating one quarter of their income to meet the mortgage payment. 22 ECONOMIC TRENDS 1. EMPLOYMENT SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY Falmouth's economy is dominated by the retail trade and service industry sectors, which are located primarily along Route 1. In 1980 and 1985, the average combined annual employment in the two sectors constituted over 70% of the employment in Falmouth (refer to Table 1). The retail trade and service industry sectors added 172 employees (an 18.6%increase) and 166 employees (a 19.7% increase), respectively, during the five year period. While the two sectors are the largest employers in Falmouth, both sectors declined as a percentage of the Town's total employment by a combined total of 4.5%. The construction, wholesale trade, and finance sectors registered the largest increases in their employment levels as shown on the table below. The most significant increase occurred in the construction industry, which grew from 121 employees to 256 or a percentage change of 111.6%. The three fastest growing sectors accounted for approximately 23% of the total employment in Falmouth. It is important to note that the manufacturing, agricultural, and mining sectors are not listed as employment sectors in Falmouth on Table 1. The number of employees in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors have dropped to a level that the information was supressed by the Department of Labor; however, the total employment figures on the table below include the employment levels in both sectors. No one has been employed in the mining sector. TA13LE 1 AVERAGE ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR IN FALMOUTH 1980 AND 1985 PERCENT PERCENT PERCENT SECTOR 1980 OF TOTAL 1985 OF TOTAL CHANGE 1980-1985 CONSTRUCTION 121 5.2% 256 8.7% 111.6% TRANSPORTATION 62 2.7% 66 2.2% 6.4% WHOLESALE TRADE 139 6.0% 207 7.0% 48.9% RETAIL TRADE 927 39.8% 1,099 37.2% 18.6% FINANCE 118 5.1% 213 7.2% 80.5% SERVICE 843 36.1% 1,009 34.2% 19.7% PUBLIC ADMIN. 68 2.9% 61 2.1% -10.3% TOTAL 2332* 2952* 11.2% TOTAL INCLUDES EMPLOYMENT DATA WHICH WAS SUPRESSED BY SECTOR SOURCE: BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 23 Falmouth's third quarter employment trends in 1980 and 1985 were similar to the trends of the suburban communities in the Greater Portland area ( refer to tables 2 and 3). Specifically, the service, wholesale trade, finance and transportation sectors in the suburban towns and in Falmouth all grew within 10% of each other during the five year time period. These four sectors constituted 50% of Falmouth's total employment in 1985, which was roughly 11 % more than the comparable figure for the suburban municipalities. One'difference between the employment figures for the suburban towns and Falmouth was that the retail trade in the suburban communities increased by 80% between 1980 and 1985, whereas in Falmouth the sector grew by 29% (Table 2). The retail sector constituted 32% of the total 1985 employment in the suburban towns and it was 37% of Falmouth's total employment. Another notable difference was that the construction industry increased by 38% in the suburban towns and in Falmouth there was a dramatic increase of 181% for the same time period as shown on the table below. The gains in the construction sector in Falmouth increased this sectors share of the town's total employment to 10.5%, which was the same proportion of total employment that this sector held in the selected suburban towns. TABLE2 THIRD QUARTER EMPLOYMENT BY SECTOR FOR SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY 1980 AND 198S SECTOR 1980 198S % OF TOTAL PERCENT 1985 SUBURBAN CHANGE EMPLOYMENT 1980-1986 AGRICULTURE 240 244 1.2% 1.7% MINING 21 18 0.1% -14.3% CONSTRUCTION 1,555 2140 10.5% 37.6% MANUFACTURING 2,883 3062 15.1% 6.2% TRANSPORTATION 768 859 4.2% 11.9% WHOLESALE TRADE 435 702 3.5% 61.4% RETAIL TRADE 3,639 6542 32.2% 79.8% FINANCE 227 384 1.9% 69.2% SERVICE 4,426 5757 28.3% 30.1% PUBLIC ADMINIS. 574 557 2.7% -3.0% TOTAL 15,002 20331 100% 35.5% SOURCE: BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 24 TABLE 3 THIRD OUARTER EMPLOYMENT FOR FALMOUTH 1980 AND 1985 PERCENT SECTOR 1980 1986 OF TOTAL PERCENT 1985 CHANGE EMPLOYMENT 1980-1985 AGRICULTURE NA NA NA NA MINING 0 0 0 0 CONSTRUCTION 123 346 10.5% 181.3% MANUFACTURING NA NA NA NA TRANSPORTATION 68 71 2.2% 4.4% WHOLESALE TRADE 154 236 7.2% 53.3% RETAIL TRADE 934 1200 36.5% 28.5% FINANCE 137 247 7.5% 80.3% SERVICE 785 1089 33.2% 38.7% PUBLIC ADMINS. 79 60 1.8% -24.1% TOTAL 2325 3285 100.0% 41.3% NA-EMPLOYMENT DATA WAS SUPRESSED BY SECTOR SOURCE: BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR By reviewing the 1985 monthly employment figures for Falmouth (Table 4), it appears that the wholesale and retail sectors were influenced by the tourist trade; however, the relatively stable employment levels throughout the year indicate a strong community base for these sectors. The wholesale and retail trade sectors gained employment from May to December with June and July recording the highest employment levels. The construction sector had increased employment levels during the second, third and fourth quarters of the year, which is a typical pattern for this industry. The other sectors remained relatively constant in employment levels, so it may be assumed that these industries were community based and were only indirectly influenced by the tourism industry. 25 TABLE 4 FALMOUTH MONTHLY EMPLOYMENT BY ECONOMIC SECTOR 1985 WHOLESALE PUBLIC CONSTR. SERVICE TRANSP. & RETAIL FINANCE ADMINIST. JAN. 225 993 52 1,275 222 59 FEB. 219 1,004 52 1,241 221 59 MAR. 229 1,006 55 1,273 223 59 APR. 277 1,051 67 1,375 228 57 MAY 307 1,065 74 1,416 233 57 JUNE 324 1,094 79 1,486 233 57 JULY 346 1,069 76 1,436 245 60 AUG. 350 1,082 71 1,412 246 60 SEPT. 343 1,117 67 1,462 250 60 OCT. 355 1,110 66 1,389 249 63 NOV. 350 1,089 60 1,387 244 60 DEC. 371 1,108 56 1,415 245 60 SOURCE: MAINE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 2. LABOR FORCE AND EMPLOYMENT The 1980 to 1985 labor force and employment figures for Falmouth reflected Cumberland County trends. The labor force* increased from 3,313 people in 1980 to 3,972 people in 1985 (refer to Table 5). This represented nearly a twenty percent (20%) gain in the Town's labor force. Cumberland County's labor force had grown comparably with an increase of 18% for the same time period. Falmouth's population had grown by 6% and the housing stock had grown by 13% between 1980 and 1985. The larger increases in the labor force statistics indicate that a greater proportion of the Town's residents entered the labor market during the first half of this decade. This was also shown in the labor force participation rate for Falmouth. In 1980 the participation rate was 64% and the rate rose to 75% by 1985. These local rates exceeded the State labor force participation rates of 62% and 64% for the same years. The employment of Falmouth citizens has increased from 3,178 in 1980 to 3,900 in 1985 (refer to Table 5). The number of employed residents rose by 22.7% over this time period and in Cumberland County the growth in employment was 21.5%. * Labor Force, as defined by the U. S. Census Bureau consists of all persons 14 years of age and over not housed in institutions, who are gainfully employed and working at their employment, or who are gainfully employed but are temporarily not working, or who are working at least 15 hours a week without pay on a family farm or in a family business, or who are unemployed, or are members of the armed forces. 26 The unemployment rates for Falmouth and the County have been steadily declining since 1980, except for 1983. The unemployment rate in Falmouth that year was 4.8% and it was 6.5% for the County. These higher unemployment rates followed State and National trends. The 1985 unemployment rate for Falmouth was 1.81 %, which was well below the County's rate of 3.15%. An unemployment rate under 2% can be interpreted as full employment for the community, since there will always be people in transition resulting in an unemployment level. TABLE 5 LABOR FORCE STATISTICS FOR THE TOWN OF FALMOUTH AND CUMBERLAND COUNTY 1980-1985 FALMOUTH LABOR FORCE EMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT YEAR RATE 1980 3,313 3,178 135 4.1 1981 .3,358 3,227 131 3.9 1982 3,410 3,280 130 3.8 1983 3,273 3,116 157 4.8 1984 3,833 3,749 84 2.2 1985 3,972 3,900 72 1.8 CUMBERLAND CO 1980 100,417 94,601 5,815 5.8 1981 101,671 96,096 5,575 5.5 1982 103,863 97,710 6,153 5.9 1983 106,910 99,929 6,980 6.5 1984 1.15,770 111,287 4,483 3.9 1985 118,704 114,962 3,741 3.2 SOURCE: BUREAU OF SECURITY EMPLOYMENT, MAINE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Falmouth's labor force is closely linked with the economic and employment conditions of the region. The 1980 Census provided data regarding the commuting patterns of Falmouth residents, see Table 6 below. Nearly half of the citizens in 1980 were employed in Portland and almost a quarter of the residents were employed within Falmouth. South Portland and Westbrook combined employed over 10% of Falmouth's labor force. 27 TABLE 6 PLACE OF WORK IN 1980 OF FALMOUTH RESIDENTS PLACE OF WORK FALMOUTH LABOR FORCE PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL PORTLAND 1380 49.4% j CUMBERLAND 26 0.9% FALMOUTH 693 24.8% FREEPORT 33 .1.2% GORHAM 24 0.9% SOUTH PORTLAND 231 8.3% WESTBROOK 108 3.9% SACO 1 1 0.4% BRUNSWICK 10 0.4% LAKE REGION AREA 52 1.9% BIDDEFORD 24 0.9% SAGADAHOC COUNTY 24 0.9% WORKED ELSEWHERE 117 4.2% NOT REPORTED 244 8.7% SOURCE- U.S, CENSUS, COMMUTER PATTERNS 3. INCOME The per capita income figures for Falmouth have shown a substantial rise in the income levels of residents. Falmouth's per capita income rose from $9,003 in 1979 to $13,043 in 1983 (refer to Chart 1 and Table 3 in the Appendix). The 1983 income figure for Falmouth exceeded the per capita income figures for Maine and for Cumberland County by 66.5% and 40.4%, respectively. In addition, the rate of income growth in Falmouth was greater than the income growth of the State and the County. Falmouth's overall income growth was 44.9% between 1979 and 1983. During this time period, Falmouth's per capita income was growing faster than the County and Maine income levels by 16% and 25%, respectively. Falmouth's per capita income grew most rapidly between 1979 and 1981. The per capita income only includes wages and salaries, it does not include other sources of income. 28 CHART I P 14000 FALMOUTH PER CAPITA INCOME 1979-1983 E R 12600 C 11200 A 9800 P 1 8400 T 7000 A 5600 N 4200 C 2800 0 M 1400 E 01 1979 1981 1983 YEAR MAINE CUMBERLAND CO. FALMOUTH SOURCE: MAINE STATE PLANNING OFFICE Falmouth not only had one of the highest per capita incomes in the region between 1979 and 1983, but it also has experienced one of the more substantial increases since 1979. Cape Elizabeth had the highest per capita income each year (1979, 1981, and 1983) with Falmouth following with the second highest income level each of those years (Table 7). The community with the most rapidly growing per capita income since 1979 was Freeport with an increase of 50%. Yarmouth and Falmouth followed with per capita income level increases of 46% and 45%, respectively. 29 TABLE 7 PER CAPITA INCOME FOR SELECTED CUMBERLAND COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES 1979, 1981, and 1983 1979 1981 PERCENT 1983 PERCENT CHANGE AREA CHANGE CHANGE 1979-83 1979-81 1981-83 MAINE 5,766 6,959 20.7% 7,830 12.5% 35.8% CUMBERLAND CO. 6,694 8,156 21.8% 9,287 13.9% 38.7% CAPE ELIZABETH 10,451 12,763 22.1% 14,889 16.7% 42.5% CUMBERLAND 8,817 10,817 22.7% 12,553 16.1% 42.4% FALMOUTH 9,003 11,062 22.9% 13,043 17.9% 44.9% FREEPORT 8,660 25.4% 10,364 19.7% 50.0% GORHAM 6,311 7,652 21.3% 8,666 13.3% 37.3% GRAY 5,865 7,080 20.7% 7,981 12.7% 36.1% N. YARMOUTH 6,199 7,779 25.5% 8,625 10.9% 39.1% PORTLAND 6,416 7,790 21.4% 8,834 13.4% 37.7% SCARBOROUGH 7,389 9,045 22.4% 10,455 15.6% 41.5% SOUTH PORTLAND 6,382 7,663 20.1% 8,664 13.1% 35.8% WESTBROOK 6,485 7,914 22.0% 8,785 11.0% 35.5% WINDHAM 5,950 7,091 19.2% 7,960 12.3% 33.8% YARMOUTH 8,011 9,994 24.8% 11,714 17.2% 46.2% SOURCE: MAINE STATE PLANNING OFFICE The distribution of household income in Falmouth was available in the 1980 Census. Less than fifty percent of the households in 1980 had a household income below $20,000. Approximately 39% of the households had incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 and over 13% were earning over $50,000. The distribution of 1980 household income in Falmouth indicated that the Town tended to be a middle- income to higher middle-income community. This correlates with the per capita income data. TABLE 8 FALMOUTH HOUSEHOLD DISTRIBUTION 1980 NUMBER OF PERCENTAGE OF INCOME HOUSEHOLDS TOTAL HOUSEHOLDS 0-$9,999 519 21.1% 10-$19,999 650 26.4% 20-$29,999 646 26.3% 30-$39,999 321 13.0% 40-$44,999 100 4.1% 50-$74,999 145 5.9% $75,000+ 80 3.3% SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, DETAILED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS, 1980 30 4. RETAIL SALES The health of the retail sector is important to Falmouth's economy because the retail sector is a major employer within the Town and generates a substantial amount of consumer sales. The retail and wholesale sectors constituted 44.3% of the total employment in the Town and employed on the average 1,308 employees during 1985. In 1980, Falmouth's total consumer sales (taxable sales) was $36,770,000 and the sales rose each year to a total of $72,080,000 in 1985 (refer to Table 9). The overall increase in sales for that time period was 96%. Falmouth's growth in sales was comparable to the Cumberland County growth rate of 94%. The consumer sales in the four municipalities of Scarborough, South Portland, Westbrook and Yarmouth grew between 95% and 114%, thus Falmouth's growth rate was comparable with the other suburban towns. The quarterly sales information for Falmouth from 1983 to 1985 indicated that in 1985 the auto and transportation product group generated over 40% of the sales in Falmouth, which represented a sales increase of 14% (Table 10). The auto and transportation product group accounted for a significant proportion of the Town's total consumer sales, and yet, the transportation employment sector constituted only 2% of the total employment force. The second largest product group in Falmouth in 1985 was the general merchandise category. General merchandise accounted for 25% of the sales in 1983; however the proportion to total consumer sales declined slightly to approximately 24% of the total by 1985. The business operating, building supply, food store, and other retail product groups experienced significant growth in sales as was indicated by their percent change figures between 1983 and 1985 on Table 10. These product groups also experienced increases in their share of the total consumer sales, particularly the business operating group which grew from 7% of the total market sales to over 10%. Each of these product groups accounted for less than 11 % of the total consumer sales in 1985. Several product groups were influenced by the tourism industry; however, the market appeared to be community based. The restaurant and lodging group was directly affected by tourism and the highest sales were transacted during the summer and autumn quarters. The product groups of food, general merchandise, business operating, and other retail have increased sales during the second and third quarters; however, their largest sales volumes occurred during the last quarter of the year, the holiday season. These product groups appear to be influenced by summer seasonal sales, but the groups were stable due to their community market. 31 TABLE 9 TOTAL CONSUMER SALES FOR SELECTED CUMBERLAND COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES TAXABLE SALES IN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS %CHANGE 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1980-85 Falmouth 36,770 44,420 49,350 60,280 68,020 72,080 96.03% Freeport 25,080 31,180 41,120 47,340 60,860 78,480 212.92% Portland 281,450 302,860 329,980 386,670 440,640 503,560 78.92% Scarborough 27,960 31,670 34,080 39,910 46,720 54,400 94.56% South Portland 181,890 201,020 225,080 271,300 334,840 370,070 103.461% Westbrook 45,070 47,760 55,870 72,530 85,570 96,090 113.20% WIndham 28,530 31,540 33,440 34,400 41,070 50,280 76.24% Yarmouth 12,380 14,430 16,070 19,580 23,050 26,440 113.57% Cumberland Co. 788,260 871,780 967,970 1,149,900 1,343,950 1,530,720 94.19% SOURCE: BUREAU OF TAXATION TABLE 10 OUATERLY TAX SALES FOR FALMOUTH FROM 1983 TO 1985 THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BY PRODUCT GROUP BUSINESS BUILDING FOOD GENERAL OTHER AUTO RESTAURANT TOTAL QUARTERS OPERATING SUPPLY STORE MERCHANDISE RETAIL TRANSP. LODGING 1983:1 936.4 380.0 1307.5 2374.8 660.5 5782.2 528.8 11970.8 1983:2 1143.3 921.8 1438.8 3344.8 741.4 8372.6 643.0 16605.8 1983:3 1073.3 880.3 1494.7 3405.1 801.4 8245.2 970.3 16870.4 1983:4 1375.8 854.6 1501.4 7091.4 1243.3 6456.4 843.3 19366.3 SUBTOTAL 4528.8 3036.7 5742.4 16216.1 3446.6 28856.4 2985.4 64813.3 %OF TOTAL 6.99% 4.69% 8.86% 25.02% 5.32% 44.52% 4.61% 1984:1 1403.5 490.2 1408.4 3214.3 741.4 6942.9 667.7 14868.3 1984:2 1499.9 1148.6 1580.5 4837.9 953.7 881-6.3 803.0 19640.0 1984:3 1467.8 980.9 1794.3 4760.9 929.2 7194.1 1045.30 18172.4 1984:4 2225.6 1132.4 1995.7 7007.5 1383.3 7401.2 795.5 21941.0 SUBTOTAL 6596.8 3752.1 6778.9 19820.6 4007.6 30354.5 3311.5 74621.7 % OF TOTAL 8.84% 5.03% 9.08% 26.56% 5.37% 40.68% 4.4% 1985:1 1713.5 609.7 1676.2 3516.3 921.3 7193.4 695.0 16363.5 1985:2 2147.5 1464.6 1847.7 4720.2 876.8 8429.1 899.30 20385.2 1985:3 1985.1 1268.8 1933.0 4450.5 1327.5 8593.4 1059.5 20617.9 1985:4 2537.2 1234.7 1900.2 6409.0 1547.6 8688.3 816.9 23133.9 SUBTOTAL 8383.3 4577.8 7357.1 19096 4673.2 32904.2 3470.7 80500.5 % OF TOTAL 10.41% 5.69% 9.14% 23.72% 5.81% 40.87% 4.31% LAND USES 1. RESIDENTIAL Falmouth is predominantly a residential community. Dense residential development has occurred along the Foreside and the Martins Point neighborhood. There are seasonal units along the coastline, but the number has dwindled as more of the housing units become year-round homes. It is this same area northeast of Route 1 that contains several of the Town's condominium projects. Dense residential development is also located along Highland Lake. The majority of these housing units are seasonal units, however, a few have been converted to year-round homes over the past few years. Falmouth has had a pattern of residential strip development along the major roads west of Route 295. Many of the recent subdivision proposals have been large scale projects that are located off of the Town's major roadway system and west of Route 9. Two of the latest subdivisons have been ambitious housing projects, which included golf courses and other amenities. The residential developments have generally been targeted toward expensive homes. 2. COMMERCIAL Commercial strip development is located along Route 1, primarily between Route 88 and Johnson Road. Office park development is emerging along Route 1, northeast of Bucknam Road. The zoning along the northerly end of Route I is specifically targeted for office park development and the demand for this type of land use is growing. There are commercial establishments along Route 100, which are generally located near the Portland line or between Leighton and Falmouth Roads. 3. AGRICULTURAL It is estimated that there are 572 acres of agricultural land under cultivation or agricultural use in the Farm and Forest Zone. In the 1981 Comprehensive Plan for Falmouth, there were 601 acres of agricultural land within the Town. The loss of farmland follows the declining employment trends in the agricultural sector. 4. INDUSTRIAL The Tax Assessor's records did not list any parcels as industrial land. This 34 corresponds with the State's employment statistics, which suppress Falmouth's employment data in the manufacturing sector because the level of employment is so low. 5. LAND USE CHARTS The Tax Assessor has assigned a land use category for each piece of property in Falmouth. The zoning districts in Falmouth are listed in Table 1 and the amount of acreage utilized in each district is indicated under the various land use categories. Manufacturing was not included in the list of uses since there were no parcels designated as such. The primary land use in Falmouth is residential; however, there is an even larger percentage of the community's land that is designated as vacant. Almost half of the land in the Town was classified as vacant land (8,653 acres or 47%) and just under 45% of the land (8,016 acres) was developed for residential uses (refer to Table 1). Commercially developed land occupies nearly 4% of the total land area and agriculture uses constitute 3% of Falmouth's land. Accessory uses and tax exempt property make up the remaining 2%. The potential for development is evident with nearly half of Falmouth's land recorded as vacant. Seventy percent (70%) of the Town's vacant land is located in the rural areas of the community, where public sewers and public water are not available. While there is a large quantity of vacant land, it should be noted that not all of it is developable. Some of the land that has been listed as vacant land will be unbuildable due to specific site conditions, such as poor soils, wetlands, floodplains, tree growth limitations, or deed restrictions. Vacant land that is available for commercial or office park development constitutes 9% of Falmouth's total vacant land area. Most of this land (563 acres) is within the Commercial Zones. These zones are in the vicinity of the Turnpike and have experienced very limited development. The Suburban Business or Business and Professional districts contain 249 acres or 3% of the commercially vacant land. According to the Tax Assessor's Office, 4,308 acres or 50% of the residentially utilized land of the Town islocated in the Farm and Forest Zones (refer to Table 1). This large percentage incorporates parcels with a single dwelling and significant amounts of acreage. The Residential B District holds 2,032 acres or 24% of the community's residentially developed land and Residential A Zone contains 1,218 acres or 14%. The Resiaential C Zone has less than 3% of its land developed residentially. This district contains the Portland Country Club and a significant amount of tax exempt land. There are residential uses in commercial districts; however the uses comprise 2% or less of the land area. Over 30% of the land (214 acres) in the Suburban Business Zone (Route 1) was developed for commercial uses and less than 9% of the land in the other commercial 35 TABLE I TOWN OF FALMOUTH LAND AREA MEASUREMENT BY USE CATEGORIES ZONE RESIDENTIAL VACANT ACCESSORY COMMERCIAL EXEMPT AGRICULTURE SUBTOTAL FARM & FOREST 4,308.29 6,009.4 - 61.4 193.1 571.93 11,144.12 RESIDENTIAL A 1,217.53 795.04 5.09 29.48 76.2 - 2,123.34 RESIDENTIAL B 2,031.83 992.3 5 108.52 43.76 3,181.41 RESIDENTIAL C 221.12 45.05 142 - - 408.17 SUBURBAN BUS. 166.89 135.06 2.37 213.82 30.9 - 549.04 COMMERCIAL 44.48 563.08 . 66.9 10.25 - 674.71 BUS. AND PROF. 26 113.52 2 50.23 - - 191.75 0 TOTAL 8,016.14 8,653.45 14.46 662.35 354.21 571.93 18,272.54 % OF TOTAL 43.9% 47.4% 0.1% 3.6% 1.9% 3.1% SOURCE, FALmouTH TAX ASSESSOR RECORDS districts has been developed (refer to Table 1). The Residential B and Residential C Zones have a significant amount of land being occupied by commercial uses within their boundaries. These districts have 16.4% (108 acres) and 21.4% (142 acres), respectively. The Residential B Districts include Route 100 and Residential C includes the Portland Country Club. As already stated, nearly half of Falmouth's land area is identified as vacant. There is also potential for further development on parcels that have been designated as residential land in the Assessors records. In order to estimate the additional developable land in Falmouth, the residential land was sorted according to its specific residential use (refer to Table 2). Parcels that contained one unit and had 10 acres of land or more were selected. A minimum of 2 acres was deducted from each parcel for the retention of a lot and the remainder of the acreage was identified as potentially developable land. TABLE 2 RESIDENTIAL LAND USE AND POTENTIALLY DEVELOPABLE LAND IN THE TOWN OF FALMOUTH ZONES SING LE MULTI- MOBILE CONDOMINIUMS POTENTIALLY FAMILY FAMILY HOMES DEVELOPABLE LAND FARM & FOREST 1,503.16 99.42 - 3,294.71 RESIDENTIAL A 826.98 51.54 - 72.41 266.59 RESIDENTIAL B 1,313.32 67.37 2.56 - 648.58 RESIDENTIAL C 157.77 1.92 3.81 57.62 SUBURBAN BUS. 161.78 5.11 - - BUS. AND PROF. 26 - COMMERCIAL 44.48 - - - - TOTAL 4,033.49 225.36 6.37 72.41 4,267.5 % OF TOTAL 47.6% 2.7% 0.1% 0.9% 50.3% SOURCE: FALMOUTH TAX ASSESSOR RECORDS It is estimated that .4,267 acres or half of the residential land in Falmouth could be further subdivided (refer to Table 2). If combined with the other land already identified as vacant, then 70% of the land in Falmouth is potentially devlopable. Of course, the actual amount of developable land will be reduced after unbuildable land has been dedu cted froff the Town's total acreage. 6. PROPERTY TAX VALUATION Table 3 presents the tax valuations for land, buildings and personal property from 1980/1981 to 1985/1986. The certified tax ratios for the first two years were 65% and 60% below the actual market values for that year. A revaluation of all real estate and 37 TABLE 3 TOWN OF FALMOUTH PROPERTY TAX VALUATIONS 1980 TO 1985 REAL PERSONAL YEAR ESTATE PROPERTY TAX TOTAL CERT. TOTAL LAND BUILDING TOTAL VALUE RATE ASSESSED MUNI. EXEMPT VALUE RATIO PROPERTY 1980181 $33,254,560 $88,409,240 $121,663,800 $2,966,900 28.86 $124,630,700 72.0% $12,244,120 1981/82 $33,001,560 $94,008,850 $127,010,410 $2,935,290 30.74 $129,945,700 60.0% $9,830,300 1982/83 $66,707,140 $168,277,460 $234,984,600 $9,320,585 17.9 $244,305,185 97.0% $17,814,330 00 1983/84 $69,153,590 $170,774,135 $239,927,725 $7,439,025 18.82 $247,366,750 100.0% $16,650,160 1984/85 $71,516,847 $177,699,336 $249,216,183 $6,144,646 18.95 $255,360,829 94.0% $17,259,816 1985/86 $72,342,399 $185,471,736 $257,814,135 $6,512,483 19.2 $264,326,618 85.0% $17,830,830 *REVALUATION WENT INTO EFFECT IN 1982 SOURCE: TOWN OF FAMOUTH ANNUAL REPORTS, 1980-1985 personal property went into effect in 1982. Between 1982 and 1985, the total assessed real estate in the Town grew from $234,984,600 to $257,814,135. Land in Falmouth increased from $66,707,140 to $72,342,399 and buildings rose from $168,277,460 to $185,471,136 between 1982 and 1986. The increases in real estate assessments for this time period reflect new construction, additions, renovations and new lots. A revaluation was conducted in 1987 in order to equalize Falmouth's assessed real estate values with actual market sales prices. The 1986 total assessed values (land and buildings minus exemptions) based on 1981 values was $267,851,605 and in 1987 the total assessed valuation increased by 88% to $502,036,490. When the estimated 20 million dollars of new construction for 1986 was deducted from the total, then the overall average increase in property values for the community was 80%. Personal property ( which was not included in the above figures), apartments and condominiums have not appreciated in value as rapidly as real property, so there has been a shift in the tax base toward single family residences, prime commercial property, and vacant land. Residential property experienced a substantial rise in valuation due to dramatic increases in the value of land, both vacant and developed. The residential districts that experienced the most significant increases in total real estate values ( vacant land, developed land and buildings) were the Foreside (excluding Martins Point Neighborhood), Highland Lake, the Pleasant Hill Road area, the Longwoods Road area and the central part of Falmouth (refer to Falmouth Revaluation Project). One of the components of total real estate value is vacant land and vacant land in Falmouth has risen in value significantly. Vacant residential land increased between 133% and 328% in almost all of the residential districts. The only two areas which did not have substantial increases in their vacant land values-were Highland Lake and the Martins Point Neighborhood. Both of these areas are densely developed and have very little vacant land that is suitable for development, consequently vacant land appreciated less than in other districts. The average increase in the value of developed land in Falmouth was 219% and building values rose at a more moderate pace of 38%. The Foreside and the Highland Lake areas had increases significantly above the Town's average. In these areas the developed land appreciated between 177% and 264% and building values rose by 30% in one neighborhood on the Foreside to 64% along Highland Lake. It should be noted that the Brook Road area was the only neighborhood in which the total real estate value (both vacant land and land with buildings) did not appreciate on par with the other residential districts. Prime commercial land has kept pace with the escalating values of residential land; however, commercial property in mixed use areas or inaccessible parcels has not appreciated significantly. When looking at the total increases in value of both 39 commercial vacant land and commercially developed properties, only the areas along the Route 1 retail corridor rose in value more than 20% faster than the community's average. The other commercial districts grew between 18% and 69%; therefore, a significant proportion of the town's commercial land values rose at a substantially slower rate than the Town's residential property. Commercial vacant land in all of the districts grew between 119% and 343%, which correlates with the increases in the value of residential vacant land. The major difference between commercial and residential property is that the value of commercially developed land with buildings did not rise significantly from 1981 to the 1987 valuations. The land and building values increased between a range of 4% to 68% in the commercial districts. For example, the commercial areas along the Maine Turnpike are generally the rear lots of large parcels located substantially in residential districts, which lack adequate access and have very few structures. Due to these circumstances, the properties did not appreciate as rapidly as the prime commercial land located along Route 1. The developed land and building values of property located in the Route 100 corridor and the Route 1 office park corridor also grew more slowly than the average for the Town. The Route 100 commercial corridor contains a variety of land uses, including single-family homes which are no longer conforming uses under the Town's Zoning Ordinance. The mixture of uses, particularly the nonconforming residential uses, tended to moderate appreciation of property values in this district. The developed land in the office park area increased by 137% and the building values rose by 34%. Both of these percentages represented a moderate increase when compared to the prime commercial real estate along Route 1. 40 NATURAL RESOURCES 1. WATERSHEDS AND WATERBODIES The Presumpscot River Basin is one of ten major river basins,in Maine and it is one of sixty State rivers that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Presumpscot River originates from Sebago Lake and flows for 24 miles to Martins Point in Falmouth where it converges with the Ocean. The drainage area of the Presumpscot is 641 square miles. Within Falmouth there are approximately 14 watersheds which ultimately drain into the Presumpscot River. A watershed is defined as a region or area contributing to the water supply of a river or lake. It is important to consider watersheds because the land uses within a drainage area can affect water quality. There have been times in the past when the lower reaches of the Presumpscot have been classified as poor water quality due to pollution upstream. The sources of the pollution were generally ,urban runoff, failing septic systems, and malfunctioning sewage treatment plants. There are four watersheds that drain into Highland Lake. Two are located in Windham, one is located in both Windham and Falmouth, and the fourth is located entirely within Falmouth. Blackstrap Road and Leighton Hill serve as the general easterly boundary for the two drainage areas in Falmouth. The edge of Highland Lake is surrounded by densely developed seasonal homes. Year-round units are located along Blackstrap Road, which are within the two watersheds. Highland Lake is also fed by Little Duck Pond and McIntosh Brook in Windham. - The Mill Brook flows from the mouth of Highland Lake and enters the Presumpscot River in Westbrook. One large watershed contributes to the brook in Westbrook. Mead Brook originates in Falmouth and flows in an easterly direction until it joins the Presumpscot in Westbrook. This is fed by one narrow drainage area between Leighton Hill and Blackstrap Road. At this time, these watersheds lack a signifciant amount of development. The Piscataqua River is one of the major tributaries of the Presumpscot. The River originates from Forest Lake (located in Windham and Cumberland) and flows through Cumberland to Falmouth. There is one large watershed for the Piscataqua in Falmouth. It is bounded by the Blackstrap Road, the Blackstrap Ridge line and a series of steep slopes located near the center of Town. This watershed extends into West Cumberland. Within this drainage area the Piscataqua runs parallel to the Maine Turnpike and the Turnpike crosses the river at two locations. Large vacant and 41 agricultural parcels of land abut the river alon g this section. There are very few homes adjacent to the river and most of the residential development within the drainage area occurs along the Blackstrap, Hurricane, and Gray Roads. The lower reach of the Piscataqua is within a drainage area with boundaries from Blackstrap Hill to the Cumberland Center Road. There has been more residential development in this area and homes are located near the river in the general vicinity of the Route 100 and Falmouth Road intersection. The headwaters of the East Branch of the Piscataqua are located in North Yarmouth, Yarmouth and Cumberland. The portion of the East Branch that flows through Falmouth is primarily fed by one large watershed encompassing the northcentral section of the community. The East Branch and its tributaries in Cumberland flow through several residentially developed areas. A large proportion of the recent and proposed residential development in Falmouth has occurred within this watershed. Three small watersheds surround the junctures of the Piscalaqua, the East Branch of the Piscataqua, and the Presumpscot. Three additional drainage areas in Falmouth direct water into the Presumpscot from the point at which the river enters Falmouth to Martins Point. All of these drainage areas contain land which is more densely developed than the northwesterly portion of Town. The Mill Creek flows into Casco Bay at Mussel Cove and it is considered to be part of the Presumpscot Basin. It is located within a separate watershed that encompasses land in both Falmouth and Cumberland. The tributaries of Mill Creek are in the same watershed and include Chenery and Norton Brooks. Northeast of Mussel Cove is a watershed that flows directly into Casco Bay. Both of these watersheds have some of the Town's most densely developed residential areas, which are served by public sewers. The watershed for the Mill Creek also includes all of the commercial and office park development areas along Route 1. The impacts of urban runoff on water quality should be considered in this watershed. 42 2. WATER QUALITY The water classification system for Maine has been revised recently to comply with the Federal Clean Water Act. The clsassification system consists of designated uses, such as fish habitat and swimming, and standards that specify the water quality levels necessary to maintain the designated use. All of the State's waterbodies have an interim classification. The Bureau of Water Quality will be reviewing the classifications, holding public hearings and revising assignments within the upcoming year. A table is included in the Appendix 5, which outlines the former water classification system in Maine and the revised system. The classification system rates freshwaters from A to D with A being the best water quality conditions. Currently, most of the riverine waterbodies in Falmouth are Class C. A. Presumpscot River The Presumpscot River is considered to be pristine in the upper reaches of the 24 mile river. It is classified as a Class A river from the outflow of Sebago Lake to the confluence of Dundee Pond. From Dundee Pond to South Windham, the Presumpscot is a Class B river. The Presumpscot River is designated as a Class C river from South Windham to the tidewater. The overall quality of the Presumpscot River has improved, particularly since it is now attaining all of the freshwater standards for a Class C waterbody. Thus, the river is attaining the appropriate levels of dissolved oxygen for the protection and propogation of fish and wildlife and the the bacterial standards for recreation in and on the water. A summary of the attainment levels for the Presumpscot River is shown in Table 1. 43 TABLE 1 PRESUMPSCOT RIVER SUMMARY OF ATTAINMENT STANDARD RIVER SEGMENT CLASS DO LEVELS ATTAINMENT ATTAINMENT OLD NEW DISSOLVED- SEBAGO LAKE A, B-1, & C ABOVE 7.0 A A OXYGEN TO WESTBROOK WESTBROOK TO C 5.0-5.5 C C TIDEWATER BACTERIAL SEBAGO LAKE A, B-1, & C A &B STANDARDS TO WESTBROOK WESTBROOK TO C C TIDEWATER BIOTIC SEBAGO LAKE A, 11-1, &C B-1, B-2 &C, B QUALITY TO WESTBROOK WESTBROOK TO USUALLY DID NOT C STIDEWATER ATTAIN C OCCASSIONALLY UNACCEPTABLE ATTAINMENT SEBAGO LAKE TO A, B-1, & C D B SUMMARY WESTBROOK WESTBROOK TO C D C TIDEWATER OCCASSIONALLY UNACCEPTABLE SOURCE: STATE OF MAINE 1986 WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT, MAINITS BUREAU OF WATER QUALITY CONTROL Table 1 identifies that the biotic quality in the Presumpscot is occassionally. unacceptable. This is in reference to a catastrophic fish kill which occurred on August 24, 1985. Approximately 200 mixed species of fish were lost when there was a failure at the Westbrook treatment plant. While the Presumpscot is attaining its Class C designation, the river has been identified by the State as a high priority water. This identification is applied when there is a serious water pollution problem. Specifically, the segment of the river which flows through Gorham is identified as an Effluent Limited Segment due to the fact that untreated wastewater is being discharged into the river. Gorham is upgrading its system and will be connecting into Westbrook's treatment plant by January 1989. 44 In the past, the Presumpscot River has had serious water pollution problems in the lower reaches of the river prior to treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater. In 1977, the Areawide Water Quality Management Plan identified the Presumpscot as not meeting Federal standards for swimming and fishing during dry weather flows due to the raw sewage and partially treated discharge from public sewers in Westbrook. The river also failed to meet federal standards for storm water events due to combined sewer overflows. Urban runoff was a major source of fecal coliform pollution during storms. B. Piscataqua River and East Branch of the Piscataqua River Based on the monitoring information from the State, the Piscataqua and the East Branch Rivers have had improvements in their water quality over the past ten years. Both the Piscataqua and the East Branch of the Piscataqua are Class C rivers and all of the minor brooks feeding into the rivers are Class C. According to the Bureau of Water Quality, these water bodies are attaining the Class 0 standards and in some reaches the water quality attains the more stringent criteria of the Class B level. As a point of reference, the 1977 Areawide Water Quality Management Plan reported that the Piscataqua was not attaining Maine's former Class B-1 levels due to agricultural and urban runoff. Higher bacterial counts in dry weather were attributed to failed septic systems. The East Branch of the Piscataqua was identified as being below swimmable and fishable standards in 1977 and generally had a lower water quality than the main branch. Runoff and failed septic systems were identified as the potential sources of the problem. C. MILL CREEK Mill Creek is the only freshwater stream in Falmouth that is a Class B waterbody. This stream is attaining the higher standards of the classification and has done so in the past as well. D. HIGHLAND LAKE According to the State's volunteer monitoring lakes program, Highland Lake has improved recently and it is considered to have good water quality. The summary of monitoring data is in Table 2 and the characteristics for Highland Lake are shown in Table 3. The hyplimnion (the bottom layer of the lake when it stratifies thermally during the summer) was oxygen depleted ( 0-5 ppm) below 10 meters. Oxygen depletion can be a sign of organic loading; however, the other water quality indicators do not support this premise. 45 TABLE 2 HIGHLAND LAKE IN FALMOUTH AND WINDHAM WATER OUALITY MONITORING DATA FROM 1974 TO 1986 1974-79Ca-) 1980-81 1982-83 1985 1986 MEAN SECCHI (m) 6.6* 6.9 5.8* 6.9 5.9 MINIMUM SECCHI (m) 4 5.2 5.3 6.1 5.2 TROPHIC STATE INDEX NA 32 NA 32 40 TROPHIC STATE RANGE 34-40 COLOR (SPU) 13 12 17 15 pH 6.2 6 6.7 6.9 CHLOROPHYLL (ug/1) 2.4 MEAN 6(LS)(C) 8(LS)(C) 2(LS)(C) TOTAL PHOSPHOROUS(ppb) 9 MEAN 19(LS)(B) 11 (LS)(B) 7(LS)(B) ALKALINITY 6 6 6 Inadequate sampling season (@) The 1974 through 1976 data were collected through a cooperativeproject between DEP and U.S. Geological Survey (F) fall, (LS) late summer, (C) core, (B) bottom SOURCE: MAINE VOLUNTEER LAKE MONITORING, UNPUBLISHED REPORT 1986 While, there there has been oxygen depletion in Highland Lake, the lake has supported cold water fish, such as brown trout, which need 5 ppm of dissolved oxygen in order to survive. The lake also supported warm species of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, perch, and pickerel. The chlorophyll results for the lake were low between 1974 and 1979 and low again in 1986. The Total Phosphorous (TP) level has been low to moderate with the highest levels attained in 1980 and 1981. In 1986, the TP level declined to a desirable low level. The transparency of Highland Lake was above average for Maine lakes. The only increase in vegetation was pipewort, which is an indicator of clean water and low nutrient levels in the water. All of the above water quality factors indicafe that the lake is healthy and not experiencing organic loading. TABLE 3 HIGHLAND LAKE IN FALMOUTH AND WINDHAM SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS HIGHLAND LAKE CHARACTERISITICS SURFACE AREA 1-640 A. MAXIMUM DEPTH .20.4 meters (67 feet) MEAN DEPTH 6.7 meters (22 feet) VOLUME 17300000 cubic meters DRAINAGE AREA 8.7 square miles , FLUSHING RATE 0.7 (flushes per year) SOURCE: MAINE VOLUNTEER LAKE MONITORING, UNPUBLISHED REPORT 1 9W 46 In the 1977 Areawide Water Quality Management Study, Highland Lake was reported as having higher phoshorous loads, which were attributed to failed septic systems and runoff. It was estimated that there were 152 failing septic systems within F 100 meters of the shore and an additional 74 failing systems beyond 100 meters. 4 E. MARINE SHORE The classification for the marine shore is as follows: Falmouth Foreside to Mackworth Island Causeway, Class SB; and the Portland side of Mackworth Island Causeway, Class SC. The higher attainment level for the Foreside calls for a dissolved oxygen level of 85% saturation and no bacteria levels which would cause the closure of open shellfish areas. In addition, an average of 8 enterococci per 100 ml. of water must be attained for swimming. The water quality along the marine shore has improved. According to Brad Sterl of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the coast of Falmouth has been at a sufficient level of water quality to permit shell fishing over the past five years. An exception to this was 1987 when the coast from Waites Landing north to Wildwood Park in Cumberland was closed to shell fishing due to spring flooding. After the flooding, the coastal waters were not achieving the bacterial standards for shell fishing. It is assumed that the water will again attain the appropriate standards. There is another source of pollution near Handy Boat; however, the Maine Department of Marine Resources has not been able to identify the actual so urce. The condition of the marine shore is an improvement over the past when all of the coast was closed to shell fishing and swimming. The high fecal counts were the result of urban runoff from the densely developed areas along the Foreside and to a lesser degree, from failing septic systems. The Foreside in Falmouth and Cumberland have been sewered, which has raised the marine water quality. While marine water quality was sufficient to permit shell fishing, Falmouth's coastline has been closed by the local Shellfish Commission for conservation purposes over the past few years. According to the Department of Marine Resources, the local ordinance expired in June 1987 and it has not been renewed. State Statutes require local shellfish ordinances to be renewed every three years. 3. GROUNDWATER RESOURCES Most of Falmouth's residents who live east of Route 9 are served by public water from the Portland Water District. The rest of the citizens rely on groundwater for their safe drinking water. Falmouth has both bedrock aquifers and sand and gravel 47 aquifers. High yield bedrock aquifers occur where crystalline rock is well-fractured, saturated, and has a source of recharge that can sustain the rate of withdrawal. Sand and gravel- aquifers occur in glacial deposits where there is very permeable, unconsolidated material that is saturated for a thickness of 10 or more feet and has a source of recharge that can sustain the rate of withdrawal. Gerber Associates have identified 13 potential high yield bedrock aquifers in Falmouth west of Route 1, which are shown on the Water Resources Map. Based on a survey of residents, two-thirds of the respondents had bedrock wells. Approximately 31 % of the bedrock wells were low-yield wells (less than 2 gallons per minute). This percentage is twice the percentage of low-yield wells found in other Maine communites. In contrast, Falmouth does have a normal percentage (30%) of its bedrock wells are high yield (greater than 10 gallons per minute). The quality of water from the wells was generally good. There were excessive concentrations of coliform bacteria, Nitrate, Chloride or Iron in 29% of the wells. The most frequent contaminant was iron, the source of which was soil and bedrock. Only 6% of the wells had high bacteria counts and 6 wells were contaminated by chloride from road salt or septic systems. The Maine Geological Survey (MGS) has mapped two sand and gravel aquifers in Falmouth. One is located near the Cumberland and Falmouth line and the aquifer is parallel to the Maine Turnpike. It yields 10 to 50 gallons per minute. There is a small extension of an aquifer into Falmouth that is situated primarily in Cumberland. This aquifer also yields 10 to 50 gallons per minute. The second aquifer is a large aquifer that is located in Falmouth and Portland. The aquifer encompasses the Presumpscot River and then follows the East Branch of the Piscataqua. This is a high yield aquifer with 50 gallons or more per minute. Aquifers and aquifer recharge areas are environmentally sensitive are ias that can be affected by land uses. The Maine Attainment Status Report cites the four major sources of groundwater contamination as follows: failed septic systems; underground storage tanks; road salt storage; and municipal landfills. The Bedrock Aquifer Study for Falmouth addresses these'sources of contamination and provides recommendations for the protection of groundwater and recharge areas. 4. FRESHWATER WETLANDS Freshwater wetlands are invaluable, irreplacable and fragile resources in communities. Wetlands serve to protect water quality, control flooding and erosion, provide a natural habitat for waterfowl, wildlife and unique plant life, encourage nutrient cycling and serve as fish sanctuaries and nursery grounds. Freshwater wetlands are an integral part of the water cycle, so these areas are vital in preserving the water quality and quantity of Falmouth's surface and ground waters. 48 Maine's Freshwater Wetlands Act was adopted in 1986 and it is administered by the Bureau of Environmental Protection (BEP). The Act defines wetlands as freshwater. swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas of 10 or more contiguous acres that have been designated as freshwater wetlands and which are characterized predominantly by wetland soils and vegetation. Any proposed activity, including dredging, draining, filling or constructing a permanent structure, requires a permit from the BEP and must prove that the activity will not unreasonaly result in interference with the functions of a wetland. There are 5 wetlands with 10 or more contiguous acres in Falmouth that have been identified by the Maine Geological Survey (refer to the map of Areas of Environmental Signficance). One of the wetlands is located along the Presumpscot River and adjacent to the estuary. A second significant wetland is found along Woods Road. There are two large wetlands along the southeasterly side of Higland Lake. MGS also mapped a wetland near the Maine Turnpike spur and Woods Road. The Bureau of Environmental Protection has recently determined that this area is not a wetland as defined by their definition during a development review. The United States Department of Interior has conducted an inventory of coastal and freshwater wetlands using aerial photography, which included freshwater wetlands of less than 10 acres. The wetlands are shown on the Areas of Local Environmental Significance Map. Many of the wetlands are located along Falmouth's rivers and streams. The smaller wetlands serve the same benefical functions as the regulated wetlands, but they simply fall below the threshold size requirement of the BEP. Some of Maine's municipalities are adopting wetlands ordinances in order to protect these resources. The Department of Conservation is preparing a series of maps with wetlands that are rated as moderate to high value for waterfowl habitats by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. These areas are referenced as protected areas in Falmouth's Resource Protection Zone. The maps will be completed in the autumn of 1987. 5. COASTAL WETLANDS Coastal wetlands are regulated under the State's Alteration of Coastal Wetlands Act and Mandatory Shoreland Zoning. Coastal wetlands include sand dunes and wetlands. Sand dunes are defined as sand deposits within a marine beach system above high tide, including but not limited to, beach berms, frontal dune ridges, back dune areas, and other sand areas depositied by wave and wind action. Tidal and subtidal areas below any identifiable debris line left by tidal action are within a coastal wetland. All of Falmouth's coastline has been identified as a coastal wetland. The wetlands extend into the estuary beyond Martins Point along the Presumpscot River (to the Allen Avenue Extension Bridge). Coastal wetlands also follow the Mill Creek up 49 to Route 1. The area between Mackworth Island and the mainland has been designated as a wetland, as well as the shorelines of Mackworth, the Brothers and Clapboard Islands. The benefits of coastal wetlands are almost identical to the qualities of freshwater wetlands. Coastal wetlands provide food and nutrients, serve as a nursery for many species of fish, serve as wintering areas for migratory waterfowl and serve as nesting and brood areas. Coastal wetlands also become a protective buffer between the sea and the land and provide open space and nonintensive recreational opportunities. 6. FLOOD PLAINS The Federal Emergency Management Agency has prepared flood hazard maps for the Town of Falmouth. Most of the development in Falmouth has occurred outside of the 100 year flood plains. The coastal flood plains extend along the coast and up the Mill Creek. The floodplains are minimal in width in some areas along the shoreline due to the presence of steep slopes. The coastal flood plains become more extensive within the Presumpscot Estuary. Flood plains encompass all of the rivers in Falmouth and include rather large areas around the convergence of the Piscataqua, East Branch, and Presumpscot Rivers. The 100 year flood plain surrounding Highland Lake includes a feeder brook and a significant wetland. 7. SOILS Soil classifications and characteristics are an important part of an environmental inventory because the soil type determines the capacity of the land to support a particular land use without incurring substantial degradation. The Cumberland County Soil Conservation Service has prepared soils maps for Falmouth. Soils that predominate over one acre or more are indicated on the map; however, other soil types will be found within the one acre area. More precise soils information may be obtained through the use of high intensity soil surveys. A soils rating system for the suitability of subsurface disposal systems was developed with the assistance of the Cumberland County Soils Conservation Service. The soils were rated as generally suitable, marginally suitable and generally unsuitable and are shown on the Soils Suitability Map. The criteria for classifying generally unsuitable soils include slopes in excess of 20%, rapid permeability of soil, and a high water table. The rating system is strictly a planning tool and on-site inspection is required for development. Other rating systems could include erodability, groundwater recharge potiential, or agricultural uses. The majority of Falmouth's soils are rated as marginally suitable or generally unsuitable for septic systems. There are large land areas on the easterly side of Route 295 that are generally unsuitable for septic systems. This area is served by the public 50 sewer system. Between the Maine Turnpike and Route 295 there are virtually no soils that are generally suitable for septic systems. A portion of this area is sewered and extensions are proposed; however the majority of the housing units still lack service. Soil conditions improve on the westerly side of the Maine Turnpike, and yet, extensive areas along Highland Lake and the Turnpike are generally unsuitable for septic systems. There is dense development of seasonal units around Highland Lake and the public sewer system does not extend into the western portion of Falmouth. 8. STEEP SLOPES Falmouth 'has moderate slopes throughout most of the community. Moderate to Steep slopes are designated as slopes between 15% and 25% and steep slopes are greater than 25%. Steep slopes are found along Falmouth's coastline and along the Presumpscot River between Route 295 and the Maine Turnpike spur. The Blackstrap Ridge is a significant ridge line of steep slopes. It runs in a north -south direction between the Cumberland and Westbrook lines. The Blackstrap Ridge includes Mount Independence, which has an elevation above sea level of 503 feet. Mount Independence has been designated as a natural area of significance by the State Planning Office. There are three other areas of steep slopes in Falmouth. The Leighton Hill area near Highland Lake is one of the ridges with the highest elevation near 480 feet. The second ridge is between Hadlock and Winn Roads with the maximum elevation of 300 feet. The third area of steep slopes is a small area located between Route 1 and Route 95 with the maximum elevation at 175 feet. 9. CRITICAL AREAS AND RARE FEATURES Falmouth contains many distinctive natural resources which add to the diversity and identity of the community. Several organizations have identified natural areas of significance. The State of Maine has the Critical Areas Program (administered by the State Planning Office) which inventories, documents and registers outstanding natural features in Maine. There are three registered critical areas in Falmouth and other natural areas that have been identified as being significant. These critical areas and all natural features listed below are shown on the Areas of Environmental Significance Map. The Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy has identifed five areas in Falmouth with known rare features. Only very general information was provided on the sites by the Conservancy, in order to protect the features from overuse or misuse. The Nature Conservancy will provide detailed information to the Town regarding the habitat and appropriate management techniques for the rare features, if the sites are threatened by development. The State of Maine Comprehensive Rivers Management Plan published in May 51 1987 lists the resource values of rivers in the State. The resource values of the Presumpsc.ot River Basin are considered to be of regional and statewide significance or wider. The Maine Department of Conservation is preparing a report on significant natural features, such as deer wintering areas, nongame habitats, wetlands, waterfowl wintering areas, fisheries and riparian zones. The maps are in a preliminary stage, so only the deer wintering areas and the nongame habitats could be included on the Areas of Environmental Significance Map. A. Registered Critical Areas- State Planning Office 1. Presumpscot River Old Growth White Pine Stand The Presumpscot River Old Growth White Pine Stand was listed as a natural resource in the Maine Comprehensive River Plan. The critical area lies on both sides of the Presumpscot River between the Allen Avenue Extension Bridge and the dam. The critical area covers approximately 5.4 acres and it is in private ownership. The Presumpscot River Old Growth White Pine Stand is a 135 year old stand of white pine trees. It is one of the high quality old-growth stands in Maine that represents the extensive Maine forests, which used to cover the State. The forest includes white pines, hemlocks, wintergreen, partridgeberry, and blueberry. (C-1 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) 2. Falmouth Old Growth White Pine Stand The Falmouth Old Growth White Pine Stand is a privately owned site located between the -New England Telephone Company Warehouse and the company office buildings near the Falmouth Interchange of Route 95. The area is approximately 4 acres. The Falmouth Old Growth White Pine stand is an example of a white pine and hemlock ravine which is estimated to be 150 years old. The Falmouth stand is growing in a sandy, well-drained soil on the sides of a ravine which at one time must have been a glacial meltwater stream. The forest stand includes white pine, hemlocks and partridgeberry. (C-2 on Areas of Environmental Significance.) 52 3. Old Clapboard Island Ledge Seabird Nesting Area The Old Clapboard Island Ledge Seabird Nesting area is owned by the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The critical area is the entire island and it is a nesting site for Common Terns Sterna hirunda). It is one of 22 remaining colonies on the Maine coast. This site is also identified by the Nature Conservancy as a Known Rare Feature. (C-3 and RF-4 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) B. Natural Areas - State Planning Office 1. The Brothers Islands have been identifed as natural areas by SPO due to the zoological importance of the islands as haul out areas for Harbor Seals. The pair of grassy islands has approximately 20 acres of land. (N-1 on Areas of Environmental Significance) 2. Mount Independence has been identified as a local scenic outlook due to the views to the ocean and to the White Mountains. Mount Independence has 20 acres which are privately owned and it is the highest point on Blackstrap Hill at 503 feet. (N-2 on Areas of Environmental Significance.) 3. The Falmouth Foreside Preserve has a trail system and scenic vistas. The Nature Conservancy gave the 13 acre parcel to the Town with the stipulation that the area would remain open and free from development. (N-3 on Areas of Environmental Significance.) C. Known Rare Features- Nature Conservancy 1. A rare reptile habitat is located in the vicinity of the Presumpscot River and Allen Avenue Extension. It is one of fewer than 20 habitats in Maine. (RF-1 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) 2. There are two sites that contain Carex polymorl2ha, a sedge grass, in Falmouth. One of the sites, which is located in the vicinity Mill Creek and Johnson Road is several acres in size and it is the largest occurence of this species in Maine. There are fewer than five known sites in Maine and one of the other smaller occurences is also located in Falmouth near the Turnpike interchange. The plant species has been proposed for federal listing and may soon be included on the Endangered Species List as a threatened 53 species. (RF-2 and RF-3 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) 3. In 1979, there was a record of a rare plant on Mackworth Island which is only one of two sites in Maine. (RF-5 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) D. Riverine Resource Values- MaJne Comprehensive Plan Report 1. The Presumpscot River Old Growth White Pine Stand and the Gilsland Farm (Audobon) were considered. resource values of State and local significance in the Maine Comprehensive River Management Plan. (C-1 and OS-1 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) 2. The Presumpscot River up to Higland Lake was identified as being significant for its anadromous fisheries. There is a dam at Smelt Hill that prevents the migration of fish. An application is pending before the State for a license to expand this facility. One of the fish passage requirements of the State is to provide up and downstream fish passage within five years. (OS-2 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) 3. Another resource value along the Presumpscot is an area between the Route 9 Bridge and the Piscataqua (approximately 2.5 miles), which is a habitat for a rare vascular plant, Allium canadense. It is one of 97 rare species of plants in Maine. (OS-3 on Areas of Environmental Significance Map.) 4. The Mill Creek is designated as supporting a crictical ecological area of regional significance. The Mill Creek from the headwaters to the ocean (7 miles) is considered to be a natural resource, particularly the areas within the nature preserve. (OS-4 on Areas of Environmental Significace Map.) 54 SCHOOL TRENDS 1. SCHOOL FACILITIES The Town of Falmouth's school facilities currently consist of the Lunt School, the Plummer-Motz School, the Middle School, and the High School (see Table 1). The Lunt School houses the Falmouth School Department's administrative offices, as well as having pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms. The Plummer-Motz School contains the elementary grades, and is actually two school buildings that are connected together to make one facility. The Middle School houses grades 6 through 8, and is physically connected to the High School facility. The High School contains grades 9 through 12 and shares some of its facilities with the Middle School, such as the cafetorium. TABLE I FALMOUTH PUBLIC SCHOOL INVENTORY, 1986-87 Numberof Numberof Numberof Classrooms Students Rachers Other Facilities Lunt School 4 84 3 administrative offices Plummer-Motz School 22 363 26 1 library; 1 computer lab; 1 gym. Middle School 10 216 17 1 library; 1 computer lab; 1 science lab; 1 gym. High School 22 360 31 1 library; 2 computer labs; 4 science labs; I cafetorium; 1 gym- SOURCES: FALMOUTH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT DATA; INTERVIEW WITH E. AINSWORTH, BUSINESS MANAGER. Several buildings that had been used for school purposes have been abandoned since 1972, due to declining enrollments. Most of these buildings have been either demolished or converted for other uses. 55 It is apparent that the Falmouth school buildings are being used close to or at capacity. Examples of this include the dividing of one classroom into two at the Middle School, the use of a storage closet for the elementary school's gifted and talented program, the use of the room off the cafetorium stage, and the recent conversion of the School Board room in the Lunt School into a classroom. Portable classrooms have not yet needed to be utilized, but school officials expect that there may be a need for them at the Plummer-Motz School by the 1988-89 school year. The primary reason for the heavy demand on school buildings is the demands of State-mandated educational programs. Special rooms are required for special education and remedial help, special programs for the gifted and talented, computer labs, science labs are just a few examples of the space demands placed on local school systems by State mandates. 2. ENROLLMENT TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS Overall school enrollment in Falmouth declined between the school years 1979- 80 and 1985-86. This trend reversed itself between 1985-86 and 1986-87, however, with a total enrollment increase of eight students, from 1,063 to 1,071 (see chart 1). This overall growth was due primarily to a large number of new students (50) entering the elementary school level. CHART 1 N 1500 SCHOOLENROL WENT, BY CATEGORY U M 1350- 1200 e r 1050 0 900 f 750 S 600 t U 450 ........... .......... ........... .......... d ........... 300 ..... .... ........ ......... .... .......... .......... e ........... ...... . .... n 150 ........ ........... .......... t . .......... ...... .... 0 .......4 *..-..-..,. ., S .. .... T* 1979-80 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87 School Year I I I I I Lq ........ .......... .......... .......... Upre K-5 E36-8 E29- 12 56 Elementary school enrollment has grown from a low of 435 in 1982-83 to a high of 490 in 1986-87. Middle school and high school enrollments, on the other hand, have been generally decreasing during the same time period. In fact, the high school declined by 30 students at the same time that the elementary school saw its large 50 student increase (between 1985-86 and 1986-87). It is anticipated that total future enrollments will decrease over the next two to three years and then increase slightly for the following two years (see Table 2 and Chart 2), with steady growth to continue at the elementary school level. The GPCOG school enrollment model projects that total enrollment will grow from 1,071 in 1986-87 to 1,112 in 1991-92, which represents an overall increase of 41 students. The GPCOG projections indicate that between 1986-87 and 1991-92 pre-K to 5th grade will grow by 127 pupils, 6th to 8th grades will increase by 13 and that a decrease of 99 students will occur for grades 9 to 12. CHART 2 N 1500 FALMOUTH ENROLLMENT TRENDS & PROJECTIONS U M 1350 b e 1200 r 1050__ 0 900 f 750 S 600 t U 450 d 300 e n 150 t S O@ 1979-80 1981-82 1983-84 1985-86 1987-88 1989-90 1991-92 School Year Total 57 W ODIODIOD CO CO -j -j . .. ........... . 03 co:co, 0 tD co --J: CD: 0: 0 00: D:. ro' 4- -"t co :00; Ln '71Z; iS,):: ODI r) Lm: Ln C:) Lrl :co . :OD L,,: :,7t CD a,, 0% - 03N r ....... . ..... . ..... ..... .... ...... . .. 1L -4 U4: CD CD :--J:Ln G@,:-C% -YcDzOD 51 ` N),: rri P--4 CI) C-) CD CO*OD'CD ODI oD:cn Ili z tn: z CX7 rn M :CD:CD: CD: 0: -J. 0' 'j- -J,: tOD . .. ........ (.n iCD:'OD-. 00 ..... ..... ... ........... .. .......... . .. c ....... ...... :CD;@D- C). @CD: CM. t CD CD %D: N -QAO: t ........... ........... .. ....... .... .1, ti. -F-4: The projections developed by COG are similar to those developed for Falmouth by the New England School Development Council; the GPCOG model, however, takes into account the effect of the pre-K grade level, while the NESDC model does not. It should be noted that projections are based on past demographic and enrollment trends, and that they do not take unexpected future events into account. One factor that should be considered in anticipating future school demand is the number of development projects that are "in the works". The Town of Falmouth has several large subdivision projects that have been approved by the Planning Board, but have not yet been constructed. Most of these developments are expected by Town officials to attract families with children. Using multipliers developed for New England states by Burchell and Listokin, the approved but undeveloped units alone could possibly result in 280 new school aged children being added to the school system within the next two to three years. 3. FUTURE FACILITY NEEDS It is expected that the demand on existing school facilities will continue to increase over the next three to five years. The enrollment projections and the amount of new development about to be constructed both indicate that school enrollments in Falmouth will be growing. The possibility that new State requirements will necessitate even more use of school facility space is also another factor to be considered. Based on the enrollment projections and discussions with school officials, it seems likely that between 3 and 6 classrooms at a minimum will be needed within the next five years. 59 APPENDIX APPENDIX TABLE 1 INMIGRATION AND OUTMIGRATION FOR CUMBERLAND COUNTY FROM 1978 TO 1985 INMIGRATION YEAR INTRA- NORTH- NORTH SOUTH WEST FOREIGN-- TOTAL NET STATE EAST CENTRAL MIGRATION 1978-1979 3585 2892 495 1317 628 373 9290 1979-1980 3585 2893 495 1@317 628 373 9291 -143 1980-1981 5398 3116 572 1632 Soo 518 12036 396 1981-1982 5760 3196 623 1785 799 375 12538 250 1982-1983 4751 3386 805 2000 845 319 12106 944 1983-1984 5943 3721 706 1927 877 391 13565 866 1984-1985 5508 3670 769 1892 897 486 13222 1441 OUTMIGRATION 1978-1979 3386 2327 563 1885 897 302 9360 1979-1980 3387 2327 563 1886 898 303 9364 1980-1981 4972 2577 524 2277 971 319 11640 1981-1982 5092 2735 491 2486 1087 377 12268 1982-1983 4589 2525 424 2280 940 404 11162 1983-1984 5825 2837 573 2275 806 383 12699 1984-1985 5089 2810 473 2109 880 420 11781 APPENDIX TABLE 2 TOWN OF FALMOUTH AGE DISTRIBUTION AGES 1980 1985 o-4 316 386 5-9 409 332 10-14 563 425 15-19 736 579 20-24 288 752 25-29 419 304 30-34 444 435 35-39 481 460 40-44 421 467 45-49 448 467 50-54 448 465 55-59 435 463 60-64 422 451 65-69 341 438 70-74 265 339 75+ 417 513 -4 -4 M M 0 M 4b Ab W 0 > m -thW -Sh-0 Ab W Pb 0 1.'-W 4@- W .0- U) ca -o' -o' .1, 4, -C, 4' 4@, --4 LY, t, ca 0 -P. w m 0 co -J. (A rO Ln 0:) 00 4h' (D 00 _G) CA) CDM > 0 -n z r%)" r%) N) P0 Z; ca N) N3 rn to @j (A co CA) rQ .9@ CA)0 (A N) G) (A a) 0 CD c 0 -4 - 03 0 -4 0 00 4@ 0 CO 4@- 4h- N30 CA) co > 0 .11 r' > -n m z > m Z - - - - - - - - - - 0 -ch. 0 m > 0 a 0 4-@- MW RD) COD COD 8 ::@ ("D 42 M 4N. W" ORW W CD r- CO m Us m > CA 6) -1 m m 0 I > K3 0 W -th, -t, 4@6 4@6 4h, -Ph- P- -N W -4 0 -Ph. CA) CA) to> > Z > " C.) (i CA m 0) CF) m a) w 0 e-n -4 to CA) OD co r- --i CA) (0 CD - CO (A -4 -4 0 Ul 4@, N3 (0 (A Na 0) ul m M x 'n m to > CA) (n 0 -P., co r- CA) W -th- M W -J -4 0 W CD 0 -4 m m K3, Po rA3 K) ro - -9@ Co r- 00 to I Co 0 roL ()1 0 - CA) 0 " C) m (n 0 4N W W 4@- 0 -4 CD co ul m OR 0) CYI CA Ul tn A" -N L" -0. Cil -A. -A, -IN. -th. A. 0 p p :911- p p p PO !@3 p PPWPPP .0- (D 01 - Lyl b. C#3 (n a) Cil (n to A@ 0 -4 M (D 0 -4 1 r APPENDIX TABLE 2B 1985 AGE DISTRIBUTION SELECTED SUBURBAN TOWNS CAPE ELIZ. CUMB. FREEP. GORHAM SCARB. WINDH. YARM. FAL 0-4 445 456 529 767 817 827 512 386 %OF T, 5,4% 7*71/6 7*9% 6*9% 6,5% 6*6% 7,0% 5*3% 5-19 438 312 445 619 843 908 468 332 10-14 542 472 444 712 921 995 507 425 15-19 711 610 494 784 1020 1079 563 579 SUBT 1691 1394 1383 2115 2784 2982 1538 1336 % OF T. 20.5% 23.5% 20.5% 19.0% 22.2% 23.91/6 21.0% 18.4% 20-24 745 551 527 1297 1061 1102 563 752 25-29 421 283 430 1331 899 1035 546 304 30-34 495 286 576 1076 999 1210 710 435 35-39 633 448 597 646 1144 1010 638 460 SUBT 2294 1568 2130 4350 4103 4357 2457 1951 % OF T. 27.8% 26.4% 31.6% 39.0% 32.8% 34.9% 33.5% 26.8% 40-44 520 452 415 615 792 841 525 467 45-49 519 451 415 535 791 643 358 467 50-54 538 330 303 525 649 533 394 465 55-59 537 324 302 524 649 433 326 463 SUBT 2114 1557 1435 2199 2881 2450 1603 1862 % OF T 25.6M 26.2% 21.31/6 19.7% 23.09/. 19.6% 21.8% 25.6% 60-64 523 258 304 467 573 533 300 451 65-69 368 258 279 395 466 450 286 438 70-74 291 ISO 235 339 330 343 249 339 75-79 291 179 233 277 330 302 210 339 80+ 227 85 206 239 234 233 183 174 SUBT 1700 960 1257 1717 1933 1861 1228 1741 % OF T. 20.6% 16.2% 18.7% 15.4% 15.4% 14.99/. 16.7% 23.9% TOTAL 8244 5935 6734 11148 12518 12477 7338 7276 APPENDIX TABLE 3 PER CAPITA INCOME FOR SELECTED CUMBERLAND COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES In 1979, 1981, and 1983 1979 1981 PERCENT 1983 PERCENT CHANGE AREA CHANGE CHANGE 1979-83 MAINE 5,766 6,959 20.69% 7,830 12.52% 35.80% CUMBERLAND CC 6,694 8,156 21.84% 9,287 13.87% 38.74% CAPE ELIZABETH 10,451 12,763 22.12% 14,889 16.66% 42.46% CUMBERLAND 8,817 10,817 22.68% 12,553 16.05% 42.37% FALMOUTH 9,003 11,062 22.87% 13,043 17.91% 44.87% FREEPORT 6,908 8,660 25.36% 10,364 19.68% 50.03% GORHAM 6,311 7,652 21.25% 8,666 13.25% 37.32% GRAY 5,865 7,080 20.72% 7,981 12.73% 36.08% N.YARMOUTH 6,199 7,779 25.49% 8,625 10.88% 39.14% PORTLAND 6,416 7,790 21.42% 8,834 13.40% 37.69% SCARBOROUGH 7,389 9,045 22.41% 10,455 15.59% 41.49% SOUTH PORTLAN 6,382 7,663 20.07% 8,664 13.06% 35.76% WESTBROOK 6,485 7,914 22.04% 8,785 11.01% 35.47% WINDHAM 5,950 7,091 19.18% 7,960 12.25% 33.78% YARMOUTH 8,011 9,994 24.75% 11,714 17.21% 46.22% State of Maine 1986 Water Quality Assessment Appendix Table 4 APPENDIX V -Summary of Attainment under Maine's Present and Revised Water. Quality Standards TABLE 1. Old - and, New Water, Quality Standards for Maine Present classifications. 38 MRSA 5363. 363-A and 364 New Classifications-L.D. 2283 Class Dissolved Oxygen Standard Class Dissolved Oxygen Standard A 75% of saturation or as naturally AA As naturally occurs. occurs B1 75% of saturation or5ppm A 75% of saturation or 7ppm B-2 60% of saturation or 5 ppm B 75% of sa turation or 7ppm C 5ppm C 60% of saturation or 5ppm D 2ppm SA 6ppm: SA As naturally occurs SB-1 6ppm SB 85% of saturation SB-2 6ppm SC 75% of saturation SC 5ppm SD 3ppm Class Bacteria Standard Class Bacteria Standard A 20 fecal coliforms per 100 ml. AA As naturally occurs B-1 60 fecal colofirms per 100 ml. A As naturally occurs B-2 200 fecal coliforms per 100 ml. B Average of 64 E.coli per 100 ml. C 1000 fecal coliforms per 100 ml. C Average of 142 E.coli per 100 ml. D Not harm public health GP-A 20 fecal coliforms per 100 ml. GPA Average of 29 E.coli per 100 ml. GP-B 60 fecal coliforms per 100 ml. SA Numerical criteria.for general SA As naturally occurs shellfish harvesting SB-1 Numerical criteria for general SB No bacteria levels which shellfish harvesting; plus an average would cause the closure of of 50 coliforms per 100 ml. in open shellfish areas are. swimming areas allowed; plus an average of 8 enterococci per 100 ml. SB-2 Numerical criteria or general for swimming areas. shellfish harvesting; plus an average of 100 fecal coliforms per 100 1ml. in swimming areas Table 1. (Continued) Old Classifications Classification - L.D. 2283 38 MRSA S 363, 363-A and 364 New SC Numerical criteria for depuration SC No bacteria levels which shellfish harvesting plus an would prevent the propagation average of 300 fecal coliforms per of shellfish are allowed; 100 ml. in swimming areas. plus an average of 14 enterococci per 100 ml. for swimming areas. SD Not harm public health. Class Biotic Standard Class Biotic standard AA As naturally occurs. A No harm to aquatic life.. B-1 No harm or injury to aquatic life. A As naturally occurs. No detrimental change. B-2 No harm or injury to aquatic life. B C No harm or injury to aquatic life. Maintain structure and function. D No standard. GP-A No harm to aquatic life. GPA As naturally occurs. GP-B No harm or injury to aquatic life. SA No harm or injury to aquatic life. SA As naturally occurs. SB-I No harm to aquatic life. SB No detrimental change. SB-2 No harm or injury to aquatic life. SC Maintain structure and function. SC No harm or injury to aquatic life. SD No standard. A V C V 0 V V 0 V H CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND ..J Y NEW 16 t= - JAP80ARD NO T@ 2 + Z. V + Ma E% THE BROTHERS 112 3 Emma --I- U- r PORTLAND MACXWOR V 18LANDTH WESTBRO MV-N-11 K 4 =A MOUTH MAINE! A x-@,L j" r dbomm a Assomm Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions b y:' AUVAM, "HE r.l)rUWV t981. J* JS64, I AV% 1967 GPCOG A A C D A F A G H A SEWER LINES -1xisting.Sewer' Potential Sewer Lines Lines: Portland V6tential Sewer. Aft Diameters-of Sewer Lines: Falmouth, Lines other tva,,@-Fjn, Pumping Stations. C V D T G V A CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND -3 -F-A ISLAND X N 3 2 2 RF-4 Z 3 3 R -1 PORTLAND I ORTH WEST ROOK 0 A A FALMOUTH, MAINE: Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions by: Febrmy 1981, JUIY t984,IADM 1987 GPCOG A F G H A B A C D A E A Areas of Local Environmental Significance Fc@ Critical Areas(C-1, C-2, C-3)' C2 Deer Wintering Areas Coastal Wetlands State Recognized FS--Hl Shorebird Staging Areas FRFJ Rare Features (RF-1 , RF-25 Freshwater Wetlands Fs-B-1 Shorebird Nesting Islands RF-3, RFA RF-5) --j Natural Areas (N-1 I N-29 N-3) Federally Recognized FN FO, I Other Significant Areas Freshwater Wetlands (OS-1 I OS-29 OS-3; OS-4) A V V C V D V. IF 71 G V N CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND APSOAND AND 2 2 x, N W 31 7 Q3 Its 3 3 101TIAND MACKWORTH ... ISLAND WESTBRO 8 __j '0V WATER LINES FALMOUTH, MAINE Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions by: February 1981, J* 1984, 1 Aprff 1967 GPCOG A A B A C A D A A IF @A 0 A A V V C V V E V H CUMBERLAND CUMAERLAmQ '14 % LLAPBOARD S ND 2 .... 2 /@j -3 3 PORTLAND ACK A.0 t8LAWWODFt H WESTBROOK Aquifers and Floodplains A 100 Year Floodplains A Significant Sand and Gravel Aquifers, Significant Bedrock Aquifers FALMOUTH, MAINE: @ AN n0c. Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions by: February 1981, July 1984. 1 Apra 1987 GPCOG A m A A A C A A E --A F H A V B V C D V F CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAMP APSOARD LAND 2 2 THE BROTH ERB 3 PORIL--- MACKWORTH SOILS SUITABILITY 16L WESTOROO @A 7 Soils Generally Suitable for A Septic Systems. 4 Soils Marginally Suitable for Septic Systems. FALMOUTH, MAINE oils enerally Unsuitable for Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions by: ng;@ Septic Systems. February 1984 July 1984, 1 AprR 1987 GPCOG a looo . me 9 AL- C D A F A V V, C V D E -V F G V H CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND % APBOA 0 LAND 2 2 Its 3 4 3 N D MACKWORT" ISLAND SLOPE SUITABILIT WESTBROOK IL -,P, __j '0 Slope Gradient less than 1596. A A Slope Gradient from 15Y. to 25%. FALMOQTH, MAINE Slope Gradient in excess of 2596. Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions by: F.b,..y 1981. July 1984, 1 April 1987 GPCOG A c E A F A G A A 9 A A A V V C V V E V V G V CUMBERLAND CUMBERLAND 0 0 .0 0 0 a ,5K.,- 0 L Eli 0 -=r. "M 101 0 0 oF 0 0@ 0 0 0 @N o 0 0 2 2 0 1WET '0 -c lo QQ 'Vr o 0 ;=I;, 7, - 0 q, o o Ah Ij o.. 3 3 1k o 10 \N1- -2. V- =11.1.r;. 1. U@\ -W@@ L? 0 Single Family 0 PORTLAND Q Multi Family 9 Mobile Home 11ACK100TH 0 Vacant Home 4 ISLAND 0 Seosond Ho e 41 ... -_I:_- w 1. Commercial 0 Manufacturing Public WEST< 0 K 0, LANDUSE 8 OV1\.0.*Lo X Eff.@. d1t Utilities, Transportation & 1980 Communication % t Cemetery 4 j_ 1967 Quasi Public, Cultural. Entertainment, Recreational Resource Extract, Agriculture A .61 FPLMOUTH, MAINE: n@(@c ^NE.4y LL a ASSOCIATES AUSURN. MA-WEE Effective Dates of Revision: Revisions by: .11 February t981. j.1y 1984, 1 Aprd 1987 GPCOG A A a A C D A E F I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ll I I 11111111 3 6668 14102 35251