BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford City Council adopted a revised version of its Biddeford RiverWalk Master Plan on July 11, establishing a “roadmap” for future work on the downtown attraction.

The order, approved unanimously, establishes the “working plan” for development to the RiverWalk, according to city documents. Such developments include design, easement acquisition, and review of and application for grant funding opportunities.

The plan, drafted by environmental engineering firm Wright Pierce in December, calls for connecting existing Laconia Plaza — opened in May — to an area across the Saco River from Spring Island known as Diamond Match. It also calls for the construction of several smaller plazas with scenic overlook areas.

Planning documents call for the existing RiverWalk to be extended past the footbridge span, accessible from behind the North Dam Mill parking lot, and possibly cantilever over the Saco River as it passes the Mill at Saco Falls and Lofts at Saco Falls complexes.

Also planned are two additional footbridges spanning the river, including one at Laconia Plaza. The planned path will continue following the river’s edge and end on the peninsula across from Spring Island, behind the Gloves Etc. building.

Until May, the most current portion of the trail, the footbridge spanning the Saco River, was completed in 2014. City officials are hoping to expand the trail through 2018, but some expressed concern about a proposed “wayfinding” through the North Dam Mill.

The plan will take the trail through a segment of the building, through the granting of an easement, which some councilors oppose.

“If there’s any opportunity where we’d be able to have sections of the RiverWalk over the river versus going through buildings, that would be preferred,” Councilor Marc Lessard said at the July 11 meeting. “If we’re going to do the project once, let’s do it right the first time.”

City Councilor Victoria Foley agreed.

“I feel strongly that if we can avoid going through privately-owned buildings in the future that would be ideal,” she said.

City councilors previously expressed concern over the easements in a council workshop held in March. City Manager Jim Bennett on July 11 explained the revised master plan only calls for pedestrian connections to be made through buildings, not the RiverWalk itself.

City officials stressed, at the concern of some councilors, that the order is not a financial authorization. Funding for the project is still to be determined, city officials said.

“I’ll support it because it’s only a plan, but I will (in) no way support anything … once it comes to finance anything unless we already have easements in place,” Councilor John McCurry said. “I just want to go on record for that.”

Councilor Stephen St. Cyr said he recognized that “funding is still an issue,” but praised the plan’s intent to explore funding options down the road.

Dan Stevenson, the city’s director of economic development, said in November — prior to the council’s approval of the $3.75 million master plan — the ultimate goal is to connect the RiverWalk to the Eastern Trail, a hiking and cycling highway that runs from Bug Light in South Portland to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Stevenson also said expanding the RiverWalk would be a positive investment in the community because it would draw more people to live in or travel to the area, and would attract more businesses to set up shop.

“It continues to make Biddeford and Saco more destination-oriented. Developers and businesses like to invest in communities that invest in themselves. It makes us unique,” he said at the time.

Bennett said on July 11 the revised master plan doesn’t necessarily replace existing documents pertaining to the RiverWalk or plans to expand the city’s Mill District, but rather it “connect(s) all the pedestrian connections in the downtown area.”

“Those other plans would continue to exist, but … This is the one we’re trying to use as the ultimate policy statement about how we’re going to move pedestrians,” Bennett said.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.