East Wakefield Master Plan Forum

On Thursday, August 13, the Planning Board held a Master Plan public forum at the East Wakefield Fire Station.

As this was the first forum for many of the members of the public in attendance, the discussions provided a brief overview of the Master Plan process, the purpose of the document, and a summary of the discussions from previous forums. Those in attendance offered some additional comments regarding the economic development potential for the Town of Wakefield and discussed the types of businesses they would like to see in town. The discussion then turned to the population growth that the Town has experienced over the last 30+ years.

The Town of Wakefield has consistently experienced a population growth rate that exceeds that of neighboring communities, Carroll and Strafford Counties, and the State of New Hampshire. You may wonder why Strafford County is included in the comparison. The Town of Wakefield is unique in that while it is located in Carroll County, it is also part of the Rochester-Dover Labor Market Area. So characteristics of both counties may impact population growth in Wakefield.

During the period of 1960 through 2008, the population of the Town of Wakefield increased by slightly more than 295%. The State of NH, Carroll and Strafford Counties experienced population increases of 116.7%, 199.4% and 105.4%, respectively, for the same period. The NH Office of Energy and Planning projects that the population for the Town of Wakefield will increase another 24.1% over the next 12 years.

What has brought about such a significant increase in population? Most likely, many factors are involved. The comparatively low housing cost combined with an exceptional quality of life is likely to attract many new residents to the community. Conversion of seasonal homes to primary homes would result in an increase in population as seasonal residents retire to these homes. Increasing housing costs in communities to our south, as well as decreasing availability of land in those communities, would contribute to an increase in population as people seek housing that is more affordable.

The age distribution of the population is another key component of a population analysis from a planning perspective. For example, an aging population will place increasing demands on emergency services while, at the same time, can contribute to declining revenues as more homeowners become eligible for the elderly tax exemption program. An increasing number of young families will place more demand on the school system. Therefore, it is necessary to understand more about the town’s population than just the number of residents. These analyses will be part of the Master Plan process and will be posted on the blog as they are completed.

And a note of thanks to Mary Richards. The Planning Board would like to thank Mary Richards for all of her assistance in organizing the East Wakefield Master Plan forum.

The next public forum will be at Town Hall on Thursday, September 10th. We hope to see you there.