CAMDEN, Maine — After months of public forums and discussions, the proposed Camden Downtown Master Plan that calls for using the town’s advantages to encourage year-round economic strength will go before the Select Board at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Camden Development Director Brian Hodges said the presentation to the Select Board will be only to provide information. He said the Select Board will schedule a public comment session on the plan at one of its May meetings.
“Camden is in a great position to capitalize on its existing natural, physical and people assets to achieve its goals for a vibrant, four-season downtown. The downtown retains most of its original structure and charm, has engaged merchants and business owners, a capable service committee, and dedicated town administrators and officials,” the plan states.
The report notes that paying for implementation of recommendations in the master plan will be the most important issue.
“Great ideas and plans are nice but without money to back them up, that’s about all they are,” the report states.
Since the voters most likely will not support the use of town taxes to pay for implementing the plan, implementation is dependent on other grants, programs and the tax increment financing districts, the report states.
Among the items identified by the report is that while the village has several public parking areas within comfortable walking distance, the lots are not well marked and are difficult to find.
“Bottlenecks and confusing intersections discourage pedestrian activity that is necessary for the vitality of the downtown,” the report states.
The report said that better signage is needed for parking areas.
The report also states that Camden has a distinct, compact downtown that offers advantages and disadvantages.
“By necessity, Camden must focus on rehabilitating and improving its existing buildings. Another consequence of this compactness is for Camden to focus on activities that benefit from its density, such as conferences, rather than activities that require open space, such as big festivals and concerts,” according to the report.
The downtown master plan identifies seven economic development clusters to “increase economic interest in the downtown, provide the downtown with branding options, [and promote] a livable and viable community that sustains year-round jobs over the period of the next 20- to 25-year economic cycle.”
The clusters include a business growth cluster that could help redevelop existing buildings through a new tax increment financing district and federal and state historic tax credits as well as create an incubator program for new businesses; a technology cluster that could be assisted through Maine Community Foundation matching grants; a creative economy cluster that involves the library, opera house and attracting a movie theater; an events economy cluster; a recreational economy cluster that would include a pathway along the Megunticook River between the former tannery site that the town is trying to sell to the downtown; a historic and architecture cluster; and a tourism cluster that encompasses all of the other clusters.
Camden businesses can’t afford to buy signs to point customers to parking lots? Or are these the same business owners that park in front of their business to keep customers away?
Is the plan to get grants to rehab buildings owned by private individuals, so that they can make more profits renting their building out?And these clusters…. tax breaks for rich building owners? “create an incubator program for new businesses” How to open a better T- shirt shop, at the tax payor expense?” a technology cluster that could be assisted through Maine Community Foundation matching grants” More tax payor dollars hard at work in a town you can’t even get a decent doughnut in?!”a creative economy cluster” Legislating creativity is next.”an events economy cluster” … sigh…”a recreational economy cluster” nice way to say bike path?”a historic and architecture cluster” got that left by people with grit that built the downtown who are long dead.”tourism cluster” Well that one they got! How about a useful shop cluster for locals?How about they stop wasting money on this drivel called a plan and let capitalism do its work? It sure worked in Rockland and Belfast!