21st Century Downtown Plan creates community for Windham - By Lorraine Glowczak

The 21^st Century Downtown Plan that began as a spark of community imagination is inching closer toward reality. The collaborative planning phase that began in 2011 and adopted in 2013 may see the physical transformations begin in two to three years. Of course, baby steps are what it is going to take to reach the fully implemented vision. It’s difficult to determine the exact amount of years it will take, but Ben Smith, Windham Planning Director, stated that when completed, the new North Windham will be “a center of social and economic activity and it will shape the lives of the next three generations” in the most positive way. 

As it stands now, North Windham is a place of convenience. Need groceries? Need that new lawn mower, or make that hasty dash into the bank? Then North Windham is there for you. But what about a sense of community? Where are the parks? Where are the children playing? Do you see people walking to their favorite shop or eatery and supporting local businesses? Is there an easily accessible place for our elderly to gather? And, when you have guests from out of town, where in North Windham do you take them? Unfortunately, North Windham lacks atmosphere, aesthetics, community, and a place to gather with neighbors and friends. As a result, many individuals choose not to move to Windham for these very reasons. Ben Smith stated it best when he refers to the plan, “We want to create a healthy, enjoyable and residential community. To create a habitat for people.”

 

What exactly is a healthy community? As stated in the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization identifies a healthy community as such: “one that continuously creates and improves both its physical and social environments, helping people to support one another in aspects of daily life and to develop to their fullest potential. Healthy places are those designed and built to improve the quality of life for all people who live, work, worship, learn, and play within their borders - where every person is free to make choices amid a variety of healthy, available, accessible, and affordable options.”

What does a healthy habitat for North Windham look like and in what ways does the 21^st Century Plan create and improve both its physical and social environment? First, it all began when city officials listened to its community members. Ben stated, “According to the community survey that was conducted in the fall of 2014, among the top things that people love about living in Windham is the proximity to Portland, the convenience of having a wide range of goods and services available right in Windham. They also noted traffic problems and the need for infrastructure improvements are among the top disadvantages to living in Windham. Residents also feel that the top threat to Windham’s quality of life was development and congestion in the North Windham commercial areas.”

As a result of that survey and many hours of research, the physical improvements of the 21^st Century Downton Plan consists of significant pedestrian upgrades including the addition of new sidewalks, wider shoulders for bicycle use, placing electrical lines underground, and the addition of trees and broadband Internet. Additionally, a more efficient use of available land will create higher land value for the home and business owner. This will draw new businesses to the area such as lawyers, accountants, specialty shops, art, restaurants, and local pubs where music abounds. Most importantly and for all this to become a reality, the addition of waste water disposal is a must. But in doing so, present town ordinances need to be addressed and changed that include residential and commercial properties residing together in what is now a central business district. The present ordinances and changes needed will be discussed this fall in a community town hall meeting. The time and date is yet to be determined.

There are always concerns by members of the public when facing transformation and change. Ben Smith reiterates that the community and government officials have worked together to discuss the various concerns and goals by meeting the public on a community and individual level. Without a doubt, funding is high on the list of apprehensions to the 21^st Century Plan. Smith stated that there are a number of funding sources to include but not limited to grants, matching funds, public and private partnerships, as well as “adopt a green space,” and “adopt a tree” programs. Additionally, funding will be provided by the Department of Transportation improvement program. 

As with any transformational and progressive goal, changes will be implemented slowly. It is possible that the community can begin to see the transformation take place in as early as two to three years. The whole completed project could foreseeable be finished in 15 to 20 years. As Smith stated, “the next big phase of North Windham is upon us.” And no matter how long the 21^st Century Plan will take to reach full completion, North Windham will be buzzing will social and economic activity. It will be a true habitat for people and it’s going to be a wonderful community adventure.

For detailed information on the 21^st Century Downtown Plan, visit www.windhammaine.us/220/21st-Century-Downtown-Plan

The new vision for North Windham - By Walter Lunt

An ambitious project, five years in the making, aimed at transforming Windham’s bustling commercial strip between River Road and White’s Bridge Road intersections may soon begin a long trip toward reality. Planners have initiated a plan to improve safety in the Boody’s Corner area with the creation of crosswalks and count-down pedestrian signals. In addition, sidewalks would be installed on the north side of Route 35 from the intersection to Basin Road. A small but definitive step to what local officials hope will someday be the ultimate alternative to an auto-centric commercial center. The future, they say, will be “a historic style grid creating a fabric of mixed uses and street types…east and west of the transportation corridor…(which) promotes economic development, safety and sense of place.
 

Decades of complaints about traffic congestion and lack of aesthetic appeal in the commercial district of North Windham have been as numerous as the hamburgers and household goods sold daily along the strip. Long gone are the days of a single traffic light at Boody’s Store (intersection 35/115), a village style mix of locally owned stores, single family homes and farms and a thru-fare framed by overhanging elm trees. Since the 1960s, numerous studies have been recommended, even implemented, to change and improve the area. Still, dissatisfaction lingers.

Now a bold and optimistic project, idling since 2011, is beginning to take shape. Town planners and officials of T.Y. Lin Engineers of Falmouth met with residents and stakeholders last week to discuss the first steps toward implementation of the North Windham 21^st Century Downtown Plan. 

T.Y. Lin senior associate Thomas Errico presented slides and sought feedback from the gathering of several dozen at Smitty’s Cinema in North Windham. The plan, a comprehensive vision for the future of the area, seeks to guide growth and change through the promotion of “quality of place.” Not just another “corridor study” that focuses on traffic movement, the master plan would expand street networks surrounding the commercial core, incubate economic development and housing opportunities, landscape esplanades and access to open space.

A key concept of the plan is the promotion of Complete Streets, designed to provide safe and comfortable travel for pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation riders as well as cars. On-street parking is envisioned on lateral streets. Crosswalks with count-down signals would be installed at all intersections. Intermittent raised medians installed on Roosevelt Trail would be designed to improve driveway access. And collaboration with local businesses is recommended to modify driveways deemed unsafe or unneeded. Shared drives created by fewer curb cuts will be encouraged. In addition, improved traffic signal phasing is anticipated to reduce delays. The plan also acknowledges the need for a public sewer system, a move now underway by a committee of Windham public officials and local residents.

The 21^st Century plan also recommends the inclusion of so-called “in-fill” development.  Portions of existing parking lots and streets parallel to the commercial corridor, such as Manchester Drive, could absorb future growth through the Complete Streets model. Residential and mixed use development would be encouraged on the periphery of the commercial district. According to the master plan, “…transportation options, land use and architecture (can) balance the needs of “to,” “thru,” and “local” modes and types of travel (creating) a gateway to the Lakes Region as well as the heart to a vibrant town center.”

Building form under the master plan would become more consistent. New buildings would be constructed closer to the road-way and possess a certain character unlike that of typical chain store and big box structures. The report states “Buildings should act as ‘urban architecture,’ framing the public realm and reinforcing the new and retrofitted Complete Streets.”

The North Windham 21^st Century Downtown project received the prestigious Plan of the Year Award from the Maine Association of Planners in 2014. It was approved as official town planning policy by the Windham Town Council in 2013.

Windham officials and T.Y. Lin predict it will be many years before 21^st Century approaches complete reality because components of the plan will be introduced only as future development occurs. The new sidewalk and crosswalk construction at Boody’s Corner is dependent on a grant application now before the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS). Preliminary engineering is expected to be completed this spring.

Planners said the dramatic transformation envisioned under 21^st Century will have to happen in conjunction with future development and with the formulation of short and long term goals. Revisions to the Windham Comprehensive Plan and to land use ordinances will guide its implementation. Funding, over time, could come from a variety of sources including capital improvement budgets, tax increment financing, bonding, impact fees and grants.

“We are not trying to replicate the Old Port,” said town planner Ben Smith. “North Windham is very valuable to our community and we can do better. It needs to be more healthy, enjoyable and more residential.”

 



Artist’s rendering comparing access drive to WalMart (McDonald’s on right) before and after implementation of 21^st Century plan.