Star City

The city of Presque Isle’s comprehensive plan for growth and development was last updated in 1975, over 32 years ago! A community’s comprehensive plan serves as the basis for city-wide zoning, sound land use growth and development and environmental conservation efforts. Beginning in the 1970s and ‘80s, communities, like Presque Isle, began to experience growth changes with commercial businesses deciding to locate outside the normal central business district. This “sprawl’, or growth on the city fringes, required sewer and water line extensions with associated increasing user costs for expanding that infrastructure to areas outside of the core community.
    In 1988, the state of Maine adopted the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act. That Act brought an explicit, new dimension to municipal comprehensive plans: “prevent development sprawl” and “maintain community identity and cultural heritage” to the degree possible. The heart of this law is to find ways to continue to build neighborhoods and commercial centers in areas where they make sense to accommodate and encourage growth, and, at the same time, conserve rural, working landscapes and our natural resources.
The city’s 2007 comprehensive plan update is nearly complete and it should be released for public review and comment in early September of this year. Revitalizing and maintaining the vitality of the existing Central Business District is a keystone of our community’s comprehensive plan. Maintaining the rural character and identity of our agrarian heritage is another cornerstone to the plan, as well as enhancing and conserving the natural resources and agricultural lands which form the foundation of our community.
Public participation serves as the foundation for a successful comprehensive plan and its effective implementation. Your community has adopted the following “Vision Statement”:
The city of Presque Isle’s municipal Planning Board and City Council, with technical assistance from the Planning and Development Department staff, working through this municipal comprehensive plan will direct and coordinate a planning and development process which: (a) conserves and protects important and significant natural resources, (b) engages residents and stakeholders, (c) identifies appropriate goals and objectives, (d) assesses community planning and development opportunities, (e) preserves and enhances our city’s unique character, rural heritage and cultural resources, (f) and addresses issues of importance to residents and stakeholders.
Your thoughts, comments and suggestions for improving the future of our community are valued, so please share them with us during this comprehensive plan adoption effort. Thank you!
Ken Arndt is Presque Isle’s Director of Planning and Development. He can be reached at 764-2503 or online at karndt@presqueisleme.us .