Preserving the town’s heritage as an historic, rural coastal village and promoting economic development are among the challenges facing the Boothbay Comprehensive Planning Committee. The 13-person committee began working on the document — last updated in 1989 — in spring 2012. On Monday, the committee continued its work by discussing land use objectives and policies that consultant Mark Eyerman described as the “guts” of any comprehensive plan.

The chapter outlines the committee’s vision regarding economic development and zoning issues in the next decade. The committee is considering where economic and population growth should occur, how to protect natural resources, preserving the town’s historic character, and permitting non-conforming businesses to remain intact and grow. The committee will present these recommendations during an August 8 public hearing from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Boothbay Region Elementary School.

The committee originally planned on holding a public vote on a completed version in May 2013. However, a flurry of new businesses in recent years created a profound impact on the town’s economic landscape. When the current plan was adopted 24 years ago the arrivals of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in 2012, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in 2007 and the recent Boothbay Harbor Country Club improvements were unimagined.

Town Manager James Chaousis attributes the committee’s slow pace to dealing with a new set of challenges. The members are incorporating the impact these new businesses along with contemplating how future arrivals will affect future life in Boothbay.

“It’s been a good problem to have. What’s slowed us down is how to incorporate those businesses into the vision which weren’t even envisioned in the last plan,” Chaousis said. “What the committee has done is focus on what makes Boothbay unique and figuring out what is the best path forward.”

During the July 7 meeting, the committee reviewed where it wanted to encourage economic expansion. Among the locations slated as prime spots were Boothbay Center, areas near the town commons, commercial property located near the Adams Pond intersection traveling toward Hardwick Road and ending at the business park, Bigelow Laboratories, and maritime and other areas already zoned as commercial.

Areas where the committee wants to discourage economic development are ones already zoned as coastal and residential areas, the northern section of Route 27 and a portion of East Boothbay village.

The committee also wants to allow for logical exceptions in allowing development in current restricted areas. The committee favors loosening restrictions around the 500 foot shoreline areas around Knickerbocker Lake and Adams Pond, which now only allow the development of single-family dwellings on a lot of four acres or more.

The new comprehensive plan would still have rigid restrictions on protecting the watershed around areas like Knickerbocker Lake and Adams Pond, according to Chaousis, but it would allow development if performance standards showed no negative environmental impact.

“I’d like to create the possibility of the town and water district working together to manage these resources for both use and development. We could create a standard which allows more development and also protects the watershed,” said committee member Andy Hamblett.

Planning board vice chairman Francis McBrearty disagreed with the committee’s proposal. He opposed the use of overlay zoning that would allow more development near wetlands and the former gravel pit areas. McBrearty feared the new regulations would be confusing and potentially lead to ground water contamination. Overlay zoning overlaps regulations from two different districts. McBrearty advised the committee to adopt a simpler format.

“This is a very controversial issue around town and it may end up sinking the entire comprehensive plan,” McBrearty said. “I urge you to use and caution and common sense. This is not only a confusing proposal it’s also dangerous.”

Committee member Joe Paolillo disagreed with McBrearty’s view. Paolillo responded that the ground water would still be protected because all projects required planning board review and approval. He believed the overlay zoning would streamline the process allowing for more uses of properties.

“Our goal is to protect the ground water too,” Paolillo said. “This allows for a property to be used in a different way without having to jump through 50 hoops. But I do agree that all regulations need to be both clear and concise.”

The committee is also trying to make non-conforming properties like the Carriage House Inn and the Bushell Point Inn fit into the new comprehensive plan. The committee wants these businesses, which were established long before the town had zoning ordinances, to comply within the plan. The committee had concerns these properties couldn’t expand due to operating a commercial business in a residential zone.

The committee is in hopes of completing the comprehensive plan so it can be voted on this November.