GPBR Legislative Updates 
  November 2025 Local Policy Tracking Report

With local elections officially wrapped up, several communities saw razor-thin margins and recounts, a few votes made the difference in deciding critical council seats. A strong reminder that local elections matter.

In Portland, the vacancy registration ordinance is now officially in effect, adding new administrative requirements for property owners with vacant commercial space. Also - remind your clients with multi-units, they need to register them with the city by the end of the month! 

Inclusionary zoning is back in the spotlight in Portland. With increasing attention from both advocates and developers, the ordinance is eligible for adjustments as early as 2026, setting the stage for significant policy debates ahead.

In Scarborough, residents are pushing hard to slow or limit development, even as the Town Council voted not to require short-term rentals to register with the town.

Cape Elizabeth 

• Cape Elizabeth voters re-elect Harriman, Jordan, and Sweet; and select Patten for first term
• Cape Town Council Report Here
• Cape Town Manager’s Report Here
• Election Results here 
• Town Council and Planning Board agendas. 
• Meeting calendar here.

     Cumberland

• Cumberland is seeking applications for alternate Planning Board Member, more info here 
• Cumberland Election Information here
• Town Council agendas. 
• Planning Board agendas

Falmouth 

• Falmouth retirement community expands with solar-powered apartments, modern upgrades - 30 solar powered electric apartments to OceanView at Falmouth, covered here by Fox23
• Falmouth Election Results here
• Latest Falmouth Newsletter here 
• Calendar and agendas here

Freeport

• New Comprehensive Plan adopted by the Council here
• Freeport Election Results here
• Housing Task Force Committee here
• Calendar and agendas here 

Gorham 

• First phases get preliminary approval for Gorham Fairway Development - 515 housing units in Phases 1-5 at the Gorham Fairways South project on McLellan Road. The units include 75 single-family homes and 440 multifamily units, covered here by the PPH 
• Position open on the Gorham Economic Development Corporation- Application available online HERE Apply by 12/11/25
• Gorham developer beefs up Robie Street housing plans 391 to 511, covered here by the PPH
• Gorham quarry expansion application pulled before final vote, covered here by WMTW
• Gorham Election Results here
• Town Council agenda

Gray

• Gray Town Manager Resigns, Economic Director Selected as Interim Manager - More information here
• Village Transformation Project - More info here
• Council meeting schedule here

New Gloucester 

• The Select Board on November 17, 2025, voted to create a Cost Sharing Committee - Currently costs are shared based on the state valuation for each municipality.  Gray voters asked to reconsider the method of sharing costs to an alternative method based on the number of students attending school from each municipality.
• Council meeting schedule here

North Yarmouth 

• North Yarmouth Election Results here 
• Comprehensive Plan Proposed changes to Land Use here.
• Meeting and agenda here.

Portland 

• Portland developers says housing ordinance is stalling construction.

Critics argue the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance is driving up costs and delaying hundreds of new housing units across the city, covered here by the News Center Maine 

• Annual Rental Registrations Due December 31st - The City’s annual rental registration process is currently open, and renewals are due by December 31, 2025. Read the full details and learn more. Long-term rental Renewal Notices for 2026 were mailed out in the first week of November. We strongly encourage landlords and property owners to renew their registrations online via our Citizen Self Service Portal. 
• The 72-unit Lambert Woods North will provide critically needed affordable family in Portland’s North Deering neighborhood. The wooded site was acquired from the city, covered here by AHF
• pressherald.comPortland panel debates code changes that could make or break Live Nation venue
• Board & Committee Openings here 
• Planning
• Development Corporation
• Rent Board 
• Downtown Commercial Storefronts Vacancy - A storefront is considered vacant if it has not been used or occupied for 180 days, starting from the date that the ordinance took effect (October 3, 2025). If your storefront has been vacant for 180 days as of April 1, 2026, you will have until May 1, 2026, to register. The first day of potential violations will be May 2, 2026. Property owners can register their vacant storefront here. More info here 

• Meeting schedule here

Pownal 

• Pownal Annual Town Report here

• Meeting calendar here

Scarborough 

• In a region known for quaint downtowns, a community without one builds from scratch, covered here by the PPH 
• Scarborough residents say town is growing too fast - The Portland Press Herald, covered here by the PPH 
• POAH officials said they are planning a second development in Scarborough to be called Sturgeon Place, a 51-unit affordable property 
• Cake with Councilors 
• December 4: Pleasant Hill School, 6:30pm
• December 9: Blue Point School, 6:30pm
• December 16: North Scarborough Fire Station, 6:30pm
• Town Meeting on Growth Control 11/15 - More Info here
• STRs registration voted down bt the Council
• Election Results here  
• Scarborough Newsletter here 

• Town Council agendas. 
• Planning Board agendas

South Portland 

• South Portland’s plan for the future envisions what could come after oil tanks, covered here by the 
• Election Results here 
• Comprehensive Plan Update here 

• South Portland City Council and Planning Board agenda

 Westbrook

• New housing development breaks ground in Westbrook - 45 units of workforce condos, covered here by WGME
• McCambridge, Rairdon are Westbrook council winners, covered here by the PPH
• Rairdon prevails by 3 votes in Westbrook recount, covered here by the PPH
• Westbrook Election Results here 

• Meeting and events calendar.

 Windham

• Windham recount confirms council seat winner, covered here by the PPH 
• Election Results here 

• Meeting calendar here.

Yarmouth

• Yarmouth voters approve sewage pump system upgrades, covered here by the PPH 
• Election Results here 

• Meeting calendar here

Statewide and national updates

• Governor's office announces funding for 8 new apartment buildings across Maine, covered here by WGME
• Maine’s housing affordability crisis is not a zoning problem — it’s an economic one - Opinion by Audra Caler is the Camden Town Manager, covered here 
• Maine business leaders join forces to tackle state's housing crisis, covered here ny WGME
• Maine home affordability experts caution against Trump’s 50-year mortgage idea, covered here by the BDN
• ‘Where did all the staff go?’: Maine restaurant owners blame the housing shortage
• Maine isn’t tracking a crucial metric about homeownership, covered here by the BDN
• Maine has split into 2 drastically different housing markets, covered here by the BDN

REMINDER: GPBR Holiday Party is Monday, 12/8!

Join us for our annual Holiday Party and toy and clothing donation drive for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. Come relax and enjoy the company of your colleagues and friends as we celebrate the accomplishments and successes of 2025 and look forward to 2026!

WHAT: Holiday Party

WHEN: Monday, December 8, 2025 from 5 - 8 PM

WHERE: DiMillo's on the Water, 25 Long Wharf, Portland, ME

Please be sure to register if you plan to attend!