Comprehensive Plan Committee

The Vienna Comprehensive Plan Committee was formed in September 2005 to:

• Develop an updated Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Vienna.
• Plan will represent the consolidation of the goals, issues, and concerns of the citizens of Vienna that will be identified during the planning process.
• The Committee will use multiple and varied methods to solicit input and keep Townspeople informed throughout the process
• Plan will strive to meet state consistency criteria for content and format.
• Plan will include specific recommendations to meet the long-range goals that have been developed during the planning process
• Plan will be presented to Town for review and comment prior to formal presentation at a Town Meeting
• Revisions to plan will be made as necessary based on public comments
• Plan will be presented to the town for approval at a town meeting.

In March 2006, Committee hired Gwen Hilton to help develop a grant application to the State Planning Office (SPO) for a State comprehensive planning grant. The effort was successful, and the State Planning Office awarded the Town of Vienna $17,280 in May 2006, to be matched by $11,670 in local funds. Following the grant award, the Committee selected Gwen Hilton, a planner from Starks, to staff the town's comprehensive planning effort. The Committee also contracted with the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District to create a series of maps on various aspects of the town's land use and natural resources.

In January 2007, the Committee inititated a newsletter Planning Ahead, to share with townspeople some of our finding to date.

A Public Opinion Survey was mailed to Vienna landowners on May 12, 2007 and the first workshop to create a "Future Vision for Vienna" was held on Monday, June 18, 2007 in the Fellowship Room behind the North Vienna Methodist Church. Based on the ideas and questions of community members, the Committee has worked with Gwen to develop recommended actions that will help achieve the vision for the future created by Vienna residents.

Recommendations Include:  

• Improving town government
• Making government services (including roads) better, more efficient, and cost-effective
• Investing in the Village
• Providing greater protection from major subdivisions and other developments
• Protecting the town's ponds
• Conserving important open space and natural resources

A Comprehensive Plan Public Forum was held on Monday, October 22 at 7 p.m. at the Community Room to present a draft of the recommendations to Vienna residents and to hear their concerns and suggestions.

After over two years of diligent work, the Committee has produced a comprehensive plan that reflects a shared vision for the future of the town and a practical guide to manage growth and development over the next ten to twenty years.

The Plan was submitted to Maine State Planning Office on November 9th. The State Planning Office reviewed the plan for completeness and for consistency with the Growth Management Act. It is a two tier review to determine:

1. Completeness - the plan covers all the topic areas required by the Act and the contract for grant funding; and
2. Consistency - the plan recommends everything specified in the Act and accompanying rules.

The State Planning Office reviewed the plan and the Comprehensive Plan Committee received their comments on January 14th. The Committee reviewed the comments and held a public meetings to obtain input on the Plan and the state comments. The Committee made minor revisions to the Plan. The Final Plan, which is to be voted on at the March 8th town meeting, has been made available at the Town House, Post Office and Dr. Shaw Library and this Website for public inspection. A final public meeting will be held Wednesday, March 5th at 7 pm at the Community Room.