Regional planners present community-visioning survey as city prepares comp‑plan update

Jenny Bridal of the Northeast Regional Council told the Planning Advisory Board that the council’s community‑visioning survey will inform an evaluation report required under chapter 163 and feed the city’s comprehensive‑plan update due in 2027. Bridal said the outreach has gathered about 134 responses so far and uses both a phone QR code and paper surveys to capture written and verbal feedback.

The presentation explained that the exercise will not discard past work but will expand and refine earlier themes the city has considered. Bridal said the council wants residents’ input on neighborhood boundaries, preferred development patterns and infrastructure priorities so staff can draft recommendations for the EAR (evaluation and appraisal report) and subsequent comp‑plan amendments.

Board members and residents focused discussion on preserving the city’s trees, historic character and neighborhood sense of place. One participant asked whether the map’s neighborhood labels matched residents’ experience; residents identified Old Town and other local places and urged protections against lot splitting and small‑lot redevelopment that could change neighborhood scale. Bridal said the team will propose compatibility standards to avoid abrupt changes in massing and to protect street trees and other local features.

Transportation and non‑motorized connectivity were recurring priorities. Bridal summarized that respondents consistently prioritized sidewalks, bike lanes and multi‑use paths; residents suggested trolley or circulator services and said DOT processes and parking constraints complicate corridor upgrades. On housing, Bridal described accessory dwelling units as an affordability tool that can fit behind principal structures, distinguishing ADUs (no new address) from tiny homes and from full lot splits.

On resilience, participants flagged seawalls, beach renourishment, stormwater and the urban tree canopy for heat mitigation. Bridal said preliminary results show most respondents are over 65, are full‑time residents and have lived in the city for 20+ years; respondents favored preserving small‑town character, protecting natural resources and prioritizing sidewalks and bike facilities. Bridal reported that 51% of respondents preferred low‑density patterns while 34% favored mixed‑use neighborhoods.

Bridal closed by outlining next steps: the team will continue virtual outreach, finalize survey tallies, prepare recommendations for the EAR and return to present findings to the board and city council over the coming months. "This is the first step — the EAR is transmitted to the state and then we will have a year to work through comp‑plan policies," Bridal said.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; staff said they will share detailed data with the board and the commission when the analysis is complete.