The town of Gray is developing design and architecture standards for businesses and organizations in the village center, work that will likely determine the look of the town for years to come.

According to Jeanne Adams, who is chairwoman of the Village Master Plan Committee that is responsible for coming up with the guidelines, the standards will most likely be broad guidelines or “good neighbor” kinds of policies.

Specifically, some of the proposals include regulating such areas as buffer zones between businesses or organizations, landscaping, and service areas (loading areas, docks, dumpsters), for new non-residential inhabitants of the center.

Adams said the purpose of the guidelines is “to help preserve the character of our town.”

While many of the town officials discuss how to attract businesses to town, the issue of design and architecture standards is a timely one.

“We’re afraid with that the big guys coming to town that the town doesn’t begin to look like every strip mall,” Adams said.

According to Gray town planner George Thebarge, who helped the town of Falmouth implement design standards, the process of coming up with such guidelines takes about nine months, and can be controversial.

“I would say that design guidelines are more controversial than some other areas,” Thebarge said. “Part of the difficulty of design guidelines is they can very subjective,” he said.

According to Thebarge, typically guidelines will establish perimeters in the following areas: site planning (such things as the distance of the business or organization’s building can be from the street, buffer zones, parking lots etc); bicycle and pedestrian walkways; public spaces; building architecture (preventing the big box); landscaping; lighting; signs; and service areas (loading zones, docks).

Thebarge said establishing guidelines for these areas is important for future economic growth in Gray.

“I think overall (design standards) are a very positive factor in economic development,” Thebarge said. “Part of the reason is the improved quality of businesses and improved quality of the site is attractive to shoppers.”

According to Thebarge, design standards help a town to create what he called a “destination” shopping experience.

Thebarge said nearby towns have taken different approaches to design guidelines. In some towns the guidelines are voluntary, such as in Windham. In Falmouth, they’re mandatory.

Falmouth, Thebarge said, was the first town in the region to have mandatory design guidelines.

“The reality is if they are purely voluntary, they are not going to be effectively implemented,” Thebarge said.

Because the design guidelines in Gray would be part of a new ordinance for the village center, they would be mandatory for new non-residential buildings in the center.

In addition, Thebarge said, some towns such as Freeport added another committee to approve the design or a new business coming to their center district.

According to Thebarge, for a business or organization this adds another layer in the building process for a business that would also have to go before the planning review board and a zoning board.

While design standards are arguably important for the long-term growth of the town, for businesses and organizations, it could mean extra costs up front.

According to Jacinda Cotton-Castro, Fiddlehead Center for the Arts executive director-Gray, which recently moved to the village center, design guidelines can be a positive move for the town in the long run.

Cotton-Castro said it’s important for the town to help make small businesses and nonprofits aware of the federal and state money that is available to help them to meet downtown beautification standards, and that such standards are implemented step by step, she said.

“There are solutions and ways to implement design guidelines like these,” said Cotton-Castro.

“I do feel it’s only going to be positive for the town,” Cotton-Castro said. “There will be an economic impact initially, but long term keeping money locally and attracting people to the town is important for economic development,” she said.

According to Gray councilor Andy Upham, the guidelines will mostly affect new businesses or organizations that want to build in the village center or major renovations to existing businesses that happen after the guidelines are instituted.

“Instead of strict standards, it is more of an evolution,” Upham said. The standards “are designed to make the downtown village more attractive,” Upham said.

According to Upham, the Village Master Plan Committee, in coming up with a zoning ordinance for the village center, solicited the public’s input about their preferences in design and architectural standards.

Right now, Upham said, the town’s ordinance review committee has to make recommendations to the council on the standards, and these standards would then go before the planning board, before finally being approved by council.

Upham said there will be additional opportunities for public comment before the standards are adopted. Upham also said town officials are discussing tax incentives for businesses and organizations to meet the standards.

The town of Gray is developing design and architecture standards for businesses and organizations in the village center, work that will likely determine the look of the town for years to come.

According to Jeanne Adams, who is chairwoman of the Village Master Plan Committee that is responsible for coming up with the guidelines, the standards will most likely be broad guidelines or “good neighbor” kinds of policies.

Specifically, some of the proposals include regulating such areas as buffer zones between businesses or organizations, landscaping, and service areas (loading areas, docks, dumpsters), for new non-residential inhabitants of the center.

Adams said the purpose of the guidelines is “to help preserve the character of our town.”

While many of the town officials discuss how to attract businesses to town, the issue of design and architecture standards is a timely one.

“We’re afraid with that the big guys coming to town that the town doesn’t begin to look like every strip mall,” Adams said.

According to Gray town planner George Thebarge, who helped the town of Falmouth implement design standards, the process of coming up with such guidelines takes about nine months, and can be controversial.

“I would say that design guidelines are more controversial than some other areas,” Thebarge said. “Part of the difficulty of design guidelines is they can very subjective,” he said.

According to Thebarge, typically guidelines will establish perimeters in the following areas: site planning (such things as the distance of the business or organization’s building can be from the street, buffer zones, parking lots etc); bicycle and pedestrian walkways; public spaces; building architecture (preventing the big box); landscaping; lighting; signs; and service areas (loading zones, docks).

Thebarge said establishing guidelines for these areas is important for future economic growth in Gray.

“I think overall (design standards) are a very positive factor in economic development,” Thebarge said. “Part of the reason is the improved quality of businesses and improved quality of the site is attractive to shoppers.”

According to Thebarge, design standards help a town to create what he called a “destination” shopping experience.

Thebarge said nearby towns have taken different approaches to design guidelines. In some towns the guidelines are voluntary, such as in Windham. In Falmouth, they’re mandatory.

Falmouth, Thebarge said, was the first town in the region to have mandatory design guidelines.

“The reality is if they are purely voluntary, they are not going to be effectively implemented,” Thebarge said.

Because the design guidelines in Gray would be part of a new ordinance for the village center, they would be mandatory for new non-residential buildings in the center.

In addition, Thebarge said, some towns such as Freeport added another committee to approve the design or a new business coming to their center district.

According to Thebarge, for a business or organization this adds another layer in the building process for a business that would also have to go before the planning review board and a zoning board.

While design standards are arguably important for the long-term growth of the town, for businesses and organizations, it could mean extra costs up front.

According to Jacinda Cotton-Castro, Fiddlehead Center for the Arts executive director-Gray, which recently moved to the village center, design guidelines can be a positive move for the town in the long run.

Cotton-Castro said it’s important for the town to help make small businesses and nonprofits aware of the federal and state money that is available to help them to meet downtown beautification standards, and that such standards are implemented step by step, she said.

“There are solutions and ways to implement design guidelines like these,” said Cotton-Castro.

“I do feel it’s only going to be positive for the town,” Cotton-Castro said. “There will be an economic impact initially, but long term keeping money locally and attracting people to the town is important for economic development,” she said.

According to Gray councilor Andy Upham, the guidelines will mostly affect new businesses or organizations that want to build in the village center or major renovations to existing businesses that happen after the guidelines are instituted.

“Instead of strict standards, it is more of an evolution,” Upham said. The standards “are designed to make the downtown village more attractive,” Upham said.

According to Upham, the Village Master Plan Committee, in coming up with a zoning ordinance for the village center, solicited the public’s input about their preferences in design and architectural standards.

Right now, Upham said, the town’s ordinance review committee has to make recommendations to the council on the standards, and these standards would then go before the planning board, before finally being approved by council.

Upham said there will be additional opportunities for public comment before the standards are adopted. Upham also said town officials are discussing tax incentives for businesses and organizations to meet the standards.