The Cumberland Town Council is moving forward with the idea of developing the town-owned land adjacent to the Town Forest. The town has received proposals and will be voting on a developer at their meeting on Monday, Oct. 23.

Two days later, on Oct. 25, the community is invited to weigh in on their thoughts regarding development of the parcel. This meeting is open to all and I applaud the town for bringing the community together. But what I do not understand is why the town would choose a developer before the community meeting? Would it not be better to let the community share its ideas and then find the developer that could best address these ideas?

Another puzzling piece is why the rush? The first articles on the subject came out just six weeks ago. It takes time for people to get informed, to gather information, to understand different options; let’s make sure we take the time to do this right.

And finally, what of the Drowne Road/Doane property? Among other promises, the 2011 vision included 14,000 square feet of retail space. Has this come to pass? Before moving ahead with the Tuttle Road property, let us finish what was started six years ago.

The Tuttle Road parcel is a beautiful piece of land and it should be put to the best use the community sees fit; let’s hope the process can be as thoughtful and visionary as possible.

Sarah Russell
Cumberland

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