Event Recordings
Data Highlights Workshop
Plan Yarmouth’s first public workshop was held on June 12, 2023. The project team shared a presentation of highlights and results from data collected on housing, demographics, transportation, public facilities, natural resources, and more. Attendees provided feedback through Idea Boards and map activities. You can view the slides from the presentation here.
So you think you know Yarmouth? Trivia Night
On August 31, 2023, Plan Yarmouth held a trivia night at Brickyard Hollow. We had a great turnout of local residents of all ages, town staff, Plan Yarmouth volunteers, and town councilors!
Community Conversations: Housing
On 9/11/23 Plan Yarmouth held a Community Conversation on Housing. You can check out the slide presentation here. The event began with a presentation by subject matter expert Jeff Levine (who authored the Housing Affordability Market Study) on existing conditions and trends in Yarmouth’s housing. Then, attendees split into small groups to discuss what kind of housing is needed in Yarmouth, where it should be, how new housing will impact other aspects of the town, and what strategies the town can use to encourage this new housing.
Community Conversations: Economy
On 9/18/23 Plan Yarmouth held a Community Conversation on Economy. You can check out the slide presentation here. The event began with a presentation by subject matter expert Tom Dworetsky of Camoin Associates (authors of the Real Estate Market Analysis) on Yarmouth’s economic conditions and opportunities. Attendees then worked at tables to brainstorm what kind of new businesses are needed in Yarmouth, where they should be located, what municipal actions for economic development the town should take, and discussed Yarmouth’s creative economy and working waterfront.
Community Conversations: Environment & Natural Resources
On 10/3/23 Plan Yarmouth held a Community Conversation on Economy. You can check out the slide presentation here. The event began with a presentation by subject matter expert Bina Skordas of FB Environmental on a wide range of Yarmouth’s environmental characteristics, including invasive species, water quality, stormwater management, coastal bluff stability, land conservation, marine resources, and climate change. Next, attendees worked in groups to talk about what places in Yarmouth should be preserved for ecological value and what places should be preserved for recreation, as well as priorities for municipal actions on the environment.
Riverfront Woods Land Acknowledgment
On September 23, a guided nature walk was held in Riverfront Woods Preserve in collaboration with the town’s Parks & Lands Committee, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, the Royal River Conservation Trust, the Rotary Club of Yarmouth, community volunteers and local master naturalists. The Riverfront Woods Preserve is owned and managed by the Town of Yarmouth, and protected by conservation easements held by the Royal River Conservation Trust. This event highlighted the many stewards of the town’s open spaces and featured the first reading of the Parks & Lands Committee’s partnership with Yarmouth Community Alliance for Racial Equity (YCARE) to create a Land Acknowledgment statement, recognizing the role of the Abenaki and other tribes of the modern Wabanaki Confederacy in present-day Yarmouth.
Future Land Use Workshop
On November 13 from 6-8 PM, Plan Yarmouth held a Future Land Use Workshop to discuss our interconnected priorities about preservation, growth, and new development.
The Comprehensive Plan Team gave a brief presentation about what we've heard from you during the Community Conversations events and provided an introduction to future land use planning. Then, attendees shared their perspective on different development scenarios for Yarmouth, and gave feedback on preservation, enhancement, and growth in town.
Visualizing Density Walking Tour
On November 19 from 1 – 2:30 PM, a guided walk was held in collaboration with the Yarmouth Affordable Housing Committee and Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee to illuminate the spectrum of densities of the existing housing stock, particularly of the historic structures that comprise so much of the Town’s cultural values of the village character and historic preservation. The walk included interviews with property owners who shared insights into the structures’ history, changes made over time to accommodate evolving needs and uses, and contextual design considerations. Participants received a DIY Walk Pamphlet about the multi-unit properties and shared resources from the Historic Preservation Committee and Yarmouth History Center on local history and architecture, shown below.
Since the walk was limited to a 1-mile radius around Latchstring Park, the video highlights multi-unit dwellings found throughout town. It introduces examples throughout town of historic and more modern homes with more than one household, and the precedent for a diverse range of housing choices that dates to the town’s shipbuilding industry, mill workers’ tenements, and seasonal recreation and tourism history. As part of community discussions around housing and future land use for the comprehensive plan update, the video also aspires to inspire ideas of potential housing styles, densities, and locations that could help the town respond to the local and statewide affordable housing crisis. To learn more about the community’s thoughts on housing diversity, please watch the event recordings of the fall Community Conversations.
Resources:
Plan Yarmouth Townwide Housing Land Use Map
Historic Preservation Committee Guidance Documents
Yarmouth History Center Walking Tours
Maine Historic Preservation Commission
What Do We Call It? A Guide to Maine Houses by Joyce K. Bibber (Greater Portland Landmarks)
Rooted Narratives
On Friday, March 15, 2023, the Plan Yarmouth team kicked off the public comment period for the draft comprehensive plan at the fifth com-PLAN-ion event, Rooted Narratives: Stories of the Power of Place, on Friday, March 15, 2024, at 5:30pm. The merry evening featured good eats from Maggie Mae’s, live music and storytelling at Yarmouth’s historic Merrill Memorial Library.