It is a truth universally acknowledged that a town’s comprehensive plan is created with the best will in the world and released with great anticipation and fanfare, but then relegated to a dusty shelf somewhere in the Planner’s Office and rarely looked at again until it is time to create another one after a generation.

The land use ordinances are the documents that inform the day-to-day decision-making of the planner and planning board, and they are often at odds with the idealistic comprehensive plan.

And so, in a real sense, what Newcastle is doing is special indeed —  it is building a comprehensive plan — in a truly participatory and democratic fashion — while writing new land use ordinances based on that comprehensive plan.

Newcastle’s kickoff meeting on Thursday, April 28 was well attended — more than a hundred people turned out to express their wishes and opinions about what they believed the town should strive to do with its new planning documents. The next few days were filled with workshops and lectures, and Saturday, the town held a block party and beer garden while the Principal Group and the Maine Design Workshop, the groups selected to put all of the ideas together in a coherent way, “checked in” with the attendees to make sure that they were getting what the people wanted right.

“There were some big ideas that came out of it,” said Lynne Norris, a member of the Newcastle Local Planning Committee. “People wanted to link up hiking trails and make them four-season trails, including equestrian use, snowmobile use, mountain biking, and ecotourism.”

Norris also said people were interested in increasing town and Academy ties, and that Lincoln Academy was in favor of working with the town to build connections. A third “big idea” is to improve the town’s website.

Committee member Tor Glendenning said that he was thrilled with the amount of participation. “Rewriting the comprehensive plan and the land use ordinances together just makes sense,” he said. “It’ll make the comprehensive plan a relevant document, and help us shape the direction Newcastle’s development will move in a way that the people can get behind, since they helped create the plan.”

At 6 p.m., townspeople assembled to hear what the Principal Group had come up with so far. Ideas included suggestions about defining types of acceptable housing types, the possible development of a rural area known colloquially and colorfully as “Cowshit Corner,” and types of home business arrangements that could be permitted. Some of the things the people wanted, including the trail system idea, would require support from landowners between the various trails to provide access. “It’s doable,” said Kara Wilbur of the Principal Group, “but it will take time and some work.”

The group is presenting the material again Monday, May 2 at 6 p.m. in  a wrap-up and dessert event at the Fire Station at 86 River Road.