Biddeford approves updates to comprehensive plan just before deadline
Biddeford took a significant step toward securing its future with state planners on Monday night, as the City Council unanimously approved amendments to the city's comprehensive plan just ahead of a looming deadline.
The city had been working to update this plan since 2023, initially submitting it to the state nearly two years ago. However, the submission was denied because critical elements were missing and the Future Land Use Map conflicted with the state's Growth Management Act, according to City Planner David Galbraith. Galbraith attributed these discrepancies primarily to staff turnover within the Planning Department, noting that the employee assigned to review the plan departed in December 2023 shortly after the initial submission. Staffing shortages in the department prevented the project from restarting until a replacement was hired, and that new employee subsequently went on leave, causing further delays.
The pressure to fix these issues was high, as Monday marked the city's final deadline to submit the updated version to the Maine Office of Community Affairs. Failure to secure state approval could result in Biddeford losing access to crucial state and federal grants and other funding sources.
Residents voiced their concerns at the special meeting about the stakes involved. Sam Pecor warned that the city risked making errors that would prompt the state to reject the plan again, stating, "There are a few things we give up when we don’t have a sufficient comprehensive plan. I am very concerned that we may make decisions that would make the state kick back this comprehensive plan."
Beyond correcting the missing elements and the Future Land Use Map, council members addressed several inaccuracies in the plan's descriptions of city areas. A major point of contention involved a large tract of land at the end of Barra Road near the Thatcher Brook Watershed, which had been classified as a growth area. Councilor Jake Pierson had attempted to change this designation to rural farmland during a June 16 meeting, but he rescinded the motion on Monday night. Councilor Marc Lessard explained the reasoning, noting, "This went to the planning board and was voted to be a place of growth prior to it coming to the council."
Environmental descriptions were also corrected based on resident feedback. Loren McCready pointed out that the plan had failed to properly classify Thatcher Brook as "urban impaired," a term used to describe water bodies polluted due to their proximity to densely populated areas.
With the council’s unanimous approval of these corrections and updates, the revised comprehensive plan is now officially on its way to the Maine Office of Community Affairs for review.
