A request to rezone land off River Road in Windham from “Industrial” to “Residential” flared into a heated debate at Tuesday’s public hearing. While both sides agree that the Industrial zone – between Gambo Road and Route 202 – should be rezoned, the question remains as to whether it should become “Medium Residential” or “Farmzone Residential.” The difference: “Medium Residential” would allow for more house lots than “Farmzone Residential.”

Lydia Peters, who brought forth the request, has asked the town to rezone her land on River Road as “Medium Residential” so she can sell or gift house lots for development, but some of her neighbors say this would jeopardize other farmland in the area.

“If she had family that wanted to put a nice house on some farmland, then I wouldn’t be here,” said Valerie Bonin, Peters’ longtime neighbor. “It definitely should be kept farmland.”

Bonin argued that more houses would mean more problems for herself and her neighbors. Nearby housing developments have caused more traffic, more septic run-off and encroached upon her farmland property, she said. Wildlife, like moose and deer that used to drink from her pond, now have disappeared with the loss of the rural landscape, she said.

“Before, it was all family and country, now I don’t know how many houses are down there,” Bonin said.

Bonin said she spoke for many neighbors in the area who had similar problems and concerns and was angry that the town had not mailed out notice of the public hearing. She mentioned that there are orange flags for septic placement on Peters property even though the zoning hadn’t changed.

Neighbor Martha Larrivee came out in Peters’ defense saying that “times have changed” in South Windham and that it is not their business to tell Peters what to do with her own land.

“It’s not going to hurt us to have more homes,” Larrivee said. “If (Peters) has made the choice to get her life in order, then she needs to do that.”

Peters said it didn’t matter to her whether the land was zoned “Farm” or “Medium Residential” just as long as it is changed from “Industrial.”

“My husband has passed away and there’s nothing I can do with this land,” Peters said. “If it’s Industrial, I can’t sell it.”

She and her late husband farmed the land for many years until he became ill and died. Since then, property taxes for the 34 acres have put a strain her financially.

“What am I going to do? Spend all my money on taxes?” Peters said. “My husband and I had discussed this all the time. I’m 81 years old. What am I going to do with all this land?”

Peters went on to say that her late husband would rather she sold the land than let it “turn into bushes.”

The Town Council is now looking into how a rezoning of the land would fit with the town’s new comprehensive plan. That plan, approved by the council but yet to be certified by the state, outlines goals and guidelines for future development in Windham.

Will Plumley, member of Windham’s Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee, said at the public hearing that such a zoning change would be consistent with the plan since it outlines South Windham as a rural area. The real danger, he said, would be to not change the zoning and have industrial development in that area instead of residential.

“If you don’t change the zoning, it will become industrial,” Plumley said, “and that would be a shame because we’d lose that rural character.”