Comprehensive Planning Committee
The Select Board appointed Comprehensive Planning Committee members in February 2018 with the mission to update our 2002 comprehensive plan.
Committee members were selected from Town Committees to represent content areas important to the prosperity and future of the island and its residents: land conservation, planning and growth management, groundwater protection, code enforcement, protection of our history, public safety services, technological infrastructure, roads, harbors and public lands, and services.
Town plans need to be updated every decade or so in order to meet the State’s requirements for “consistency findings”. Without a current, approved Comprehensive Plan, the town did not meet grant program rules for eligibility for state-funded grant programs such as the Shore and Harbor Planning Grants or Coastal Community Grants. These and other state funded grants have served the town well for funding improvements at the Wright Landing Municipal Boat Launch and at the Clough Point Town Preserve.
The plan, as expected, took almost two years to complete and involved the active participation and input of town residents through workshops and surveys. The final plan was based on a common vision for our town’s future developed through committee members' analysis with guidance from residents via a community survey, public meetings, and public votes.
Community Vision Statement
A survey of Westport Island stakeholders in July and August 2018 sought the input of Westport Islanders about how the town should evolve over the next 10-20 years. An overwhelming 295 survey responses formed the basis of a draft Vision Statement which was submitted to the voters for final approval.
The Vision Statement was approved by the voters in November 2018 and formed the basis for the final Comprehensive Plan approved by voters in November 2019 and approved by the State in January 2020.
A Blueprint for the Future
Comprehensive Plans are town blueprints for the future. They are developed by looking at the past, taking a snapshot of the present, and creating a vision for what happens next with the involvement and approval of the people who live and work in the community. Now that we once again have a current approved plan, we will have access to a variety of state and federal grants designed to improve communities, and we thank all who participated.
2019 Westport Island Comprehensive Plan
Members
| Name | Position | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Chair | (207) 460-0367 | |
| .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Vice Chair | ||
| .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Secretary | ||
| Richard "Dick" Barker | Member | ||
| Theodore "Ted" Christie | Member | ||
| James Cromwell | Member | ||
| Richard DeVries | Member | ||
| Dennis Dunbar | Member | ||
| Joanna Jacobs | Member | ||
| Gary Richardson | Member | ||
| Ronald Stoodley | Member |