Comprehensive Plan Update Committee approves wording edits, adds flood sites and schedules public hearing

The Comprehensive Plan Update Committee voted unanimously to approve a package of edits to the town—s draft comprehensive plan and to advance steps needed for a public hearing. Committee members eliminated specific year references, removed language referencing "higher density," added identified flood-prone areas to the mitigation list, and authorized staff to make typographical and formatting corrections to the document.

Committee Chair (identified in the transcript as Speaker 2) opened the meeting and said the agenda would include discussion and votes on possible plan changes. Speaker 3 told members he had compiled notes from the joint workshop with the Board of Selectmen capturing areas of consensus, and the committee used those notes as the basis for the revisions.

Members agreed to remove the year "2022" from adoption language so the plan reads that the comprehensive plan update "will be presented to the citizens of Wells for adoption at town meeting," and to remove a separate date reference (2032) from the vision statement so the vision is not tied to a specific year. Speaker 3 explained that the effective date of the plan would be the day voters approve it. The committee approved the revised sentences and the deletion of the dates.

Committee…