An almost two year investment in time, money and patience by the Town of Columbia Falls regarding its future land use plan and large scale building development looks to be coming to a close. The town will vote on accepting a new code of ordinances at its annual town meeting set for Tuesday, March 19. This comes as the Worcester family's goal of building a patriotic theme style park Downeast comes to an end.
      What started in March 2022 when plans were unveiled to build the $1 billion Flagpole of Freedom Park requiring 10,400 acres of Worcester owned land in the unorganized territory to be annexed by the town -- which would bypass state oversight -- instead, became the impetus for the town to take a hard look within.
      The town did this with a thorough review of its current comprehensive plan as well the town's building ordinances relating to large scale development. The result was the realization that the town was exposed to potential unregulated large scale development of any kind. The select board decided it was best to be thorough and "do this the right way," according to select board Chair Tony Santiago.
      The Worcester family's project looked to build the tallest flagpole in the world with six history museums, a nine mile memorial wall, hotel, shops and restaurants, all in honor to veterans. The project would have utilized over 2,500 acres, employed an estimated 6,000 people and would have required significant infrastructure investment.
      Attorney Tim Pease, speaking on behalf of the Worcester family, says that the primary reason for the decision to abandon the project was based on community input. "Really it's a result of listening to the community, wanting to be good neighbors and really paying attention to what folks are saying," says Pease.
      "We had the public sessions during the summer of 2022 after the public rollout of the project, and as a result of that, listening to and involving the community, the family decided not to follow through on that project. They will, however, continue to look for potential other ways to honor veterans, but as of now don't have any specific projects in mind."
     

Annexation remains in limbo
      “If you recall the Worcesters requested a pause be placed on the town's due diligence towards a vote on the annexation," says Santiago. "At that time we requested a survey of the land to be annexed and development details, but to date we have never received the survey nor a development plan."
      The Worcester family had asked the town to hold off on the annexation in August 2022. The reasons for the pause were at first ambiguous, but later as the timeframe lengthened Pease advised the select board in October that they were reevaluating the project because of governance and fund raising issues and that a number of veteran organizations had pushed back on the project's for profit business status.
      "I can't speak for what the town wants to do now with regards to annexation," says Pease. "I do believe it would still be an option. In order for that to happen the select board could put it out for a ballot vote, or citizens could petition to put it out for a ballot vote. The Worcester family at this time has no position on the annexation."
      Attorney Aga Dixon, representing Columbia Falls, says that the town has not received any official notice regarding the status of the flagpole project. She says that to her knowledge "no formal action has been taken to withdraw the annexation proposal, nor has the select board received the details requested about the annexation so that the voters can make an informed decision."

Moratorium provided time
      Last March, Columbia Falls residents approved a moratorium on any large-scale development in the town. It placed a pause on commercial, industrial or non residential development that is greater than 100 feet in height or disturbs three or more acres of land and also on high density residential development.
      Dixon reiterates that the moratorium did not stop or prevent normal everyday business for the town but simply provided the additional time needed to do things the right way from the start. "A moratorium does not stop a town from doing what it normally does with regards to building permits, etc.," says Dixon. "The expansions of homes and new buildings continued unabated."
      Prior to the town vote on the moratorium, Mike Worcester indicated that the family was returning donations it had received to start the project and that it had taken down the donation page on the project's website. He provided no additional details as to the reason for the decision. Worcester added, "In response to the town's bid for a moratorium, we support the town in protecting itself from unrestricted growth. This goes for our project or any other projects entering the area."
      The moratorium was then extended for an additional 180 days at a public hearing and select board vote on August 28.

Town residents played critical role
      Following the adoption of the moratorium, town officials, with the assistance of attorneys, created a questionnaire to ascertain what residents, as well as others from outside the area, wanted to see with regards to the future of Columbia Falls. Also, two community sessions were held to garner input from residents and those from surrounding towns. Utilizing the information received from both the workshops and survey, the planning and select boards worked with Noel Musson, a land use planning consultant, and Dixon creating and drafting the new land use plan and supporting ordinances that will regulate large scale commercial development and also provide a foundational section to be added to the town's comprehensive plan.

New code plan proposed
      In the overview introduction to a new code of ordinances, Dixon points out that this work was not about one single project but about a town's future that was already facing a number of large scale projects, including a large solar farm and the flagpole project.
      What will remain the same are the town's 10 existing land use rules, though Dixon points out they have been consolidated, streamlined and updated to meet current state law.
      A significant part of the new "code" is the introduction of a zoning framework that allows residential and commercial development everywhere but restricts large scale or incompatible land uses.
      "The voters of Columbia Falls said they like it here and don't want the town to change much" in the answers they provided in the survey. The new regulations establish four land use districts "that mirror what Columbia Falls is like today." The four districts are Village District, Mixed Use Rural District, Corridor District and Rural District. The details on each of the districts as to what is and what is not allowed are provided in the code of ordinances overview that will be explained and made available to all residents.
      Lastly, the new plan provides a step by step process for any new development to go through. In addition, the plan provides clarification on food sovereignty, new rules for solar farms and critical state law updates.

Future for the town
      “Over the past two years, Columbia Falls has been in the unenviable position of reacting to one of the largest development proposals in Maine's history," says Dixon. "In my experience, these kinds of projects tend to divide communities and create hostility between people. But, by and large, that hasn't happened here. While people certainly have strong views about the FFP proposal and how the town should respond to it, they have expressed those views with grace. It is never easy to overhaul municipal land use rules, but the burden is lessened when town officials and residents recognize each other as neighbors, no matter their views."
      "There is not a thing I would have done differently," select board Chair Santiago offers. "The select board, the planning board, our attorney and the myriad of consultants that assisted us in this process have worked diligently to see this to the end. And we certainly cannot forget town residents who have been patient while offering their input about the future of their town."
      Dixon will remain as the town's attorney and looks forward to continue her work to assist the select board and planning board with municipal legal matters.
      On Wednesday, February 14, the select board and planning board will meet with Dixon and Musson to finalize the code of ordinances package. On Tuesday, February 27, beginning at 6 p.m. at the town office, a public hearing will be held to present the ordinances and accept any and all public comment. The voters of Columbia Falls will then be asked to adopt a final version of the code at the annual town meeting slated for Tuesday, March 19.