Standish Corner Village Design Implementation

"Growth" areas

Have, or can efficiently obtain, public facilities and services.
Have natural characteristics suitable for development.
Are large enough to accommodate the expected growth over the next 10 years and to allow the market to function.
Are large enough to accommodate a variety of types of housing.
Must be limited to a size and configuration that encourages compact rather than sprawling development.

Source: SPO Comprehensive Plan Manual, 2005.

A major goal for Standish was to retain its rural character. To do this the Town's 2006 Comprehensive Plan recommended directing a large majority of its future residential and commercial growth into its village centers and the immediately surrounding areas.

The Comprehensive Plan identified three village centers as Growth Areas where the majority of the town's development should take place: Steep Falls, Standish Corner (pictured above), and Sebago Lake Village. The St. Joseph's College campus is also designated as a Growth Area.

Standish Corner Village Master Plan

In November 2007 the town completed the first of these master plans for its village-center growth areas: a Village Design Master Plan for Standish Corner . This Plan sets the overall direction for how the village at the intersection of Routes 25 and 35 should evolve over time. It recommends:

Creating two new Village Mixed Use districts and a Residential Professional district (to replace the existing Village Commercial and Residential districts),
Retaining the Business Commercial and Industrial districts,
Developing Design Guidelines to guide the scale and design of village architecture, signage, buffering/landscaping, and the streetscape,
Revising minimum lot size requirements for residential development in the village center (currently 1.5 acres per single family home) and possibly establishing maximum lot sizes in the village,
Revising the Dimensional Standards that govern the minimum and maximum front, side and rear setbacks from property lines and the placement of buildings on each lot,
Creating a local street network to organize future development in accordance with the Access Management and road layout principles of the village Roadway Plan.

The Village Design Implementation Process

While the Master Plan set the long term direction for Standish Corner, many specific details remain concerning the many issues listed above. For instance, the Master Plan recommends consideration of a range of reduced minimum lot sizes in the village center but does not recommend a specific minimum size.

In March 2008, the Town Council established the Village Implementation Committee. The Committee is chaired by Town Councilor Carolyn Biegel, council representative for the Standish Corner village area.

The work of the Village Implementation Committee will be to provide the Town Council with recommendations on these many design questions, including which will lead to recommendations on specific changes to the zoning ordinance and other regulations in Standish Corner. Phase I will make specific recommendations to the Council prior to developing ordinance language. A Draft Work Plan for Phase I has been developed. This phase is expected to last through December 2008. Following review by the Town Council, the Planning Board and others, Phase II will move to making zoning change recommendations by June 2009.

The Committee hosted a wide variety of public events to engage Standish citizens and business owners and get their input.