On the evening of Thursday, May 14th, at the Standish Municipal Building, The citizen-led Standish Corner Village Implementation Committee will host a third and final public workshop on Thursday, May 14, to solicit feedback and input on new “smart growth” strategies for the village center at Standish Corner.

An open house from 6 to 7 p.m. will feature visual exhibits and offer residents the opportunity to chat informally with committee members. The workshop, from 7 to 9:30 p.m., will actively solicit feedback, ideas, and input from residents, businesses, and property owners.

Standish’s new Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2006, calls for most of the town’s growth to be focused in village areas, like Standish Corner, to help preserve rural landscapes and natural resources in the rest of the town.

To accomplish this goal, the nonprofit smart growth advocacy group GrowSmart Maine began working with the town of Standish in 2007 to implement a plan for the village center. For over a year, GrowSmart has worked with the Standish Corner Village Implementation Committee to analyze alternatives and solicit input to arrive at a “preferred growth concept” – a framework for a more vibrant and walkable village.

As part of this process, GrowSmart Maine developed sets of images that simulated what the village center area might look like 20 years from now under three different zoning alternatives, including the status quo. Images of the preferred concept, which features walkable streets and village-scaled buildings, will be on display at Thursday’s event.

The end product of the Committee’s work will be a recommended set of ordinances and other policies that implement the “Preferred Growth Concept” and the town’s Comprehensive Plan. With the Town Council’s approval, these reforms are intended to encourage new vibrancy and high-quality economic development in the village center over time.