Maine Growth Management Survey Now Open

The Municipal Planning Assistance Program (MPAP) has released the new Maine Growth Management Survey. MPAP is seeking input from planners, municipal officials, and volunteers from throughout the state about the past and future of Maine's Growth Management Program. With this new survey, we are soliciting input about the entire State of Maine Growth Management Program: funding, technical assistance, state support, the Comprehensive Plan Review Criteria Rule, the Growth Management Law, guidance, implementation, etc.

Deadline is September 13, 2024.

Take the Survey

Job Opening! Coastal Land Use Planner

This professional services position assists coastal Maine municipalities with comprehensive planning needs, interacting with and providing technical assistance to regional planning councils, and managing grant programs to regional planning councils and municipalities. The position assists in researching municipal planning issues and developing policy and implementation recommendations for use by the executive department, legislature, or line agencies. The program and this full-time position are in Augusta, and remote work options are available subject to management approval.

Deadline to Apply is August 30, 2024.

Learn More & Apply!

The Maine Planning Basics Webinar Series

Presentations intended for those new to planning in Maine. This presentations respond to a significant increase in new planners in the State. Sessions are scheduled for the first Friday of each month from 12pm - 1:30pm. Find all presentations on our Webinars webpage.

Featured presentation - Best Practices for Comprehensive Planning, 8/2/2024: Comprehensive Planning Best Practices. Hosted by Hancock County Planning Commission and presented by Jay Kamm, Senior Planner with the Northern Maine Development Commission, and Ashley Gamache, Planner II with the Municipal Planning Assistance Program. Presentation available as PowerPoint and PDF.

Growth Management Program Evaluation - 2023

The Growth Management Law (MRS 30-A 4331) requires an evaluation of the state, regional and local efforts to achieve the purposes and goals of the law. This report provides that evaluation. It does so by looking at three criteria: the location of growth, the level of local and regional planning, and the state’s financial commitment to growth management. Growth Management Program Evaluation - 2023.

Other Items of Interest...

EPA Stormwater Calculator
Demonstration for Planning Boards

Using funds provided in a grant from the Maine Coastal Program, the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission has created a demonstration of EPA's online Stormwater Calculator. The step-by-step demonstration is designed to show local Planning Board members the effect Low-Impact Development (LID) stormwater management techniques can have when used in a hypothetical development scenario.

Why your town should have a Comprehensive Plan

Learn about some key benefits your community can enjoy by adopting a comprehensive plan that is consistent with Maine's Growth Management Act, including:

  • clear vision for future growth
  • ultimate legal support for land use ordinances
  • enhanced state grant opportunities

View the Comprehensive Plan Brochure (PDF)

Older "Findings of Consistency" expired at the end of 2012

A state Finding of Consistency for a local comprehensive plan is valid for twelve years. A temporary exemption for older Findings ran out on December 31, 2012. What does the expiration of a Finding of Consistency mean for your community?

View Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

Growth Management Program Evaluation

The quadrennial Growth Management Program Evaluation was presented to the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in 2024. The evaluation summarizes the program's history, gives the status of recommendations made in the prior evaluation, and assesses the current state of the program.

View the Growth Management Program Evaluation (PDF)

To Encourage the Preservation of Dark Skies: A Report to the Business, Research & Economic Development Committee

Viewing stars with the naked eye requires "dark skies" - night skies that are largely free of light pollution emitted by misdirected outdoor lights. Maine is one of the few places in the eastern United States that still has dark skies. This report, prepared in response to a legislative resolve calling for the preservation of this natural resource, reviews outdoor lighting standards for commercial development and offers options and recommendations for their promotion.

View the Dark Skies Preservation Report (PDF)