North Berwick moves revised comprehensive-plan language toward November referendum

The North Berwick Select Board reviewed and approved forwarding a narrowly focused change to the town’s comprehensive plan intended to align local language with state legislation and directed staff to send the revision to the Planning Board as the next step toward placing it on the November ballot.

Dwayne Morin presented the proposed text change and said the next steps are Planning Board review and preparing the wording for a referendum. Morin summarized the change as focused on directing growth into areas served by public sewer and water, noting the town must be in compliance with State timelines: "Facilitate development in the designated growth areas: Village A, B, Village Center, Commercial and Commercial II, Residential I, rather than in the currently zoned ‘farm and forest’ and proposed ‘critical rural’ and ‘rural residential’ areas. The growth areas are those zoned areas into which 50% of future growth and development shall be directed as these areas are served by both Public Sewer and Water Infrastructure."

Board members discussed timing and scope. Morin said the Town is approaching the 20-year mark for a full comprehensive-plan update (North Berwick is year 18) and that a full rewrite is a lengthier, more expensive undertaking; the Board signaled interest in using State templates and in forming a committee with representatives across town to comply with the State checklist. Selectperson Hall asked to place lighter-schedule discussions over the summer and suggested aiming for a fuller update by 2030.

The Board did not vote on a full-plan update at the meeting; members agreed only to forward the proposed amendment for Planning Board review and to prepare for a referendum question in November. The Planning Board and subsequent public process will determine the final language and schedule.