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Windham Planning Board opens process to study a growth‑management ordinance, seeks joint meeting with School Board
Summary
The Planning Board debated a Growth Management Ordinance (GMO) on June 3 and voted unanimously to let staff invite the School Board to a joint meeting to gather enrollment, public‑safety and infrastructure data before deciding whether to pursue a GMO.
At its June 3 meeting, the Windham Planning Board opened a preliminary process to determine whether the town should pursue a Growth Management Ordinance and unanimously authorized staff to request a joint meeting with the School Board to gather data.
The board discussed two competing approaches: a school‑centered trigger that would focus on enrollment and school capacity, and a comprehensive approach that would include public safety, water and other infrastructure. Chairman Jacob Cross said a joint meeting with the School Board would help the board understand school data before deciding the scope of any GMO.
Board member Payal Ballaya said she favored basing a GMO on a percentage‑growth trigger and later stated that "if growth continues as an approximately percentage of 2% or more, then a GMO may be warranted." Ballaya emphasized that any proposed GMO must rest on empirical data and legal standards, noting that studies used to justify an ordinance are generally considered valid for 36 months.
Two School Board members attended the meeting. School Board member Cynthia Finn told the Planning Board that the district does not maintain a fixed enrollment threshold that would allow it to refuse students and said the district "does not have a capacity; they must educate all children in the district." Shannon Ulery, who said she was speaking as a resident, recommended the board also look at police, fire and other infrastructure data and cited a recent NESDEC study the district had commissioned.
Windham Fire Chief Tom McPherson said the department has included a proposed Route 28 substation in multiple CIP cycles but that funding requests have been turned down; he said the department may need additional facilities in the future as staffing and service needs change.
The board polled members on analytic approaches and was split: Cross, Byron and Partington favored a school‑first approach while Ballaya, Withee, Sevincgil, Monson and Balestrieri preferred a comprehensive approach. To move forward, Mr. Heath Partington made a motion allowing staff to contact the School Board chair and district to explore a joint meeting; the motion passed 7‑0.
Next steps: staff will reach out to the School Board to gauge interest in a joint meeting. The Planning Board did not set a schedule for drafting a GMO or for any ballot action; members repeatedly noted that any ordinance would need clear, legally defensible data before being placed before voters.
