Editorial: "Worth 1,000 words" Printed Aug. 10, 2007
When it comes to land use and building
plans being considered by the South Portland or Cape Elizabeth planning
boards, we can describe in the Sentry the details of what is proposed–
we can recite the lot size in acres; repeat the measurement of building
envelope to property line setbacks in feet and describe the location
and dimension of open space that will be preserved.
What we cannot do is show it to you. The schematics showing such plans are printed on huge sheets of paper, with physical copies kept in the municipalities’ respective planning offices. As it stands now, the ability to transfer those sheets into images we can print is unfeasible. But this might change, in Cape Elizabeth at least, as the planning board begins a temporary trial period during which plan submissions will be digitized and submitted in electronic format.
The Cape Elizabeth Planning Board did not have the Sentry in mind when it considered this experiment, but the public’s ability to follow the planning process is one of the considerations that pushed the board in this direction. In the current planning process, plans and schematics are displayed in the front of the town hall chamber and oriented away from members of the audience. The reason is simple– the presentation is directed at the board, not the audience. But the status quo can often frustrate those who wish to observe the proceedings.
Digital images will be projected onto a large screen, which will allow more people to see, not just hear, what is being proposed. While the details have yet to be worked out, these plans could also be accessible to anyone with a computer.
We applaud the planning board for being a laboratory for bringing the planning process into the information age. The Planning Board and Town Planner Maureen O’Meara are fully aware this experiment will involve significant trial and error and obstacles involving technology, logistics and administration have yet to be worked out. Can these obstacles be overcome? The board’s answer is they won’t know until they try.
We have our own reasons for wanting this experiment to succeed, but we believe those reasons are fully aligned with the publics’.
–Ward Peck
What we cannot do is show it to you. The schematics showing such plans are printed on huge sheets of paper, with physical copies kept in the municipalities’ respective planning offices. As it stands now, the ability to transfer those sheets into images we can print is unfeasible. But this might change, in Cape Elizabeth at least, as the planning board begins a temporary trial period during which plan submissions will be digitized and submitted in electronic format.
The Cape Elizabeth Planning Board did not have the Sentry in mind when it considered this experiment, but the public’s ability to follow the planning process is one of the considerations that pushed the board in this direction. In the current planning process, plans and schematics are displayed in the front of the town hall chamber and oriented away from members of the audience. The reason is simple– the presentation is directed at the board, not the audience. But the status quo can often frustrate those who wish to observe the proceedings.
Digital images will be projected onto a large screen, which will allow more people to see, not just hear, what is being proposed. While the details have yet to be worked out, these plans could also be accessible to anyone with a computer.
We applaud the planning board for being a laboratory for bringing the planning process into the information age. The Planning Board and Town Planner Maureen O’Meara are fully aware this experiment will involve significant trial and error and obstacles involving technology, logistics and administration have yet to be worked out. Can these obstacles be overcome? The board’s answer is they won’t know until they try.
We have our own reasons for wanting this experiment to succeed, but we believe those reasons are fully aligned with the publics’.
–Ward Peck
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