Happy Spring! We have project milestones, important legislation and funding opportunities to tell you about. | |
Bill Proposes Extension to LD2003 - Hearing on 4/11 | | |
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LD 665 is a bill that proposes a two-year extension to the effective date of the affordable housing law LD2003 enacted last year. There is a public hearing scheduled before the Joint Housing Committee on Tuesday, April 11 at 1:30pm. LD 665 is the 3rd bill on the agenda.
SMPDC will be testifying on behalf of our Executive Committee in support of the extension, as we have heard from many member municipalities that more time is needed to access resources, understand the law’s implications, and get zoning changes through the planning board and town meeting processes.
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If you wish to provide testimony regarding the extension, you can do so three different ways.
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Submit written testimony or testify via Zoom: Follow this link to register for the public hearing via Zoom or submit a written testimony. Select "Public Hearing" then choose "Housing" from the committee dropdown, and the April 11, 1:30pm timeslot. https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/
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Testify in-person: The public hearing will be held in the Cross Building, 111 Sewall St, Augusta, ME 04330, Room 216. They ask, if you have written testimony when you testify in person, bring 20 copies for committee members.
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Q&A Sessions on Housing Law LD2003 | |
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The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development is holding a series of Q&A sessions regarding implementation of LD 2003 through the months of April and May. DECD is the implementing agency at the state level and will be responsible for providing technical assistance grants to municipalities and service providers in the coming months.
There is no set agenda, or need to RSVP, as meetings will be an open format for individuals to ask questions, get clarification and guidance on the specifics of the law. All sessions will be held via Zoom.
- Session 1: Tuesday, April 18, 2023, 10am-11am
- Session 2: Tuesday, April 25, 2023, 10am-11am
- Session 3: Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 10am-11am
- Session 4: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, 10am-11am
- Session 5: Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 10am-11am
- Session 6: Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 10am-11am
Zoom link for all sessions: https://mainestate.zoom.us/j/85671268128
For questions or more information, contact housing.decd@maine.gov.
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Broadband Coalition Launches Efforts | |
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This March, the York County Regional Digital Inclusion Coalition launched efforts to develop a regional Digital Inclusion Plan with a successful Coalition Kickoff meeting. Participants included regional non-profits, charitable organizations, representatives from economic development, education, and healthcare fields, and community members. The Coalition will help to inform the development of a regional digital inclusion plan, which will in turn inform a statewide version of the plan summarizing the various barriers and challenges to internet access.
Just this week, the project team held a public forum in partnership with the Maine Broadband Coalition at York County Community College to ask students and community members about their experience and challenges with accessing the internet.
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The Digital Inclusion Plan is one piece of SMPDC’s partnership with the Maine Connectivity Authority through the Regional & Tribal Broadband Partners Program. For more information, visit smpdc.org/broadband or contact James Rather at jrather@smpdc.org. | | |
The Maine Connectivity Authority is also conducting a statewide survey assessing internet service satisfaction and accessibility! Deadline is April 14th.
By informing MCA about your internet speed and access you will have a direct impact on broadband funding in your area. The survey will take 5-10 minutes.
If you are able to help us spread the word, click the button below for flyers and handouts you can put out in Town Hall!
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Lee Jay selected for State Land Bank Authority | |
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We are pleased to announce Lee Jay Feldman, Planning Director, was nominated and confirmed to serve on Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority this month. Last year legislation was enacted to create a statewide land bank for the purpose to aiding municipalities and other public or non-profit entities in acquiring abandoned, blighted and/or obsolete property for redevelopment. The Land Bank Authority will be able to facilitate coordinated redevelopment of properties that otherwise wouldn’t have been feasible for a municipality to return to productive use.
The Land Bank will have a governing Commission made up of subject matter experts from the real estate, redevelopment, planning, historic preservation, and environmental remediation fields. Lee Jay was one of the members nominated by the Governor as a full-time planning professional employed by a regional planning organization of the state. We are proud of Lee Jay’s confirmation and look forward to following the progress of the Land Bank Authority into the future!
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New Statewide Climate Tool Survey | |
This survey is part of the DACF's initiative to develop an interactive, online climate action planning tool. | |
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This 5-minute survey will inform the design of an interactive, online tool help communities develop implementation metrics for climate planning.
This is for anyone who is involved or interested in climate/resilience planning in Maine, including volunteer committee members, municipal staff, technical support providers, etc. You do not have to have participated in a climate action planning process to participate in the survey.
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Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Received | |
SMPDC, in partnership with GPCOG, has received a Safe Streets and Roads for All grant from the US Department of Transportation. The funding will be used to develop a comprehensive safety action plan for municipalities in the metropolitan planning organization KACTS. This includes Kittery, York, Eliot, South Berwick and Berwick. We are also pursuing further grant funding to expand the study to other municipalities in the SMPDC region. | | |
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Maine DEP Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Control Grants Program
Watershed Management Plan Development Grants
Plan Implementation Grants
For questions, contact the RFA Coordinator Alex Wong, Alex.Wong@Maine.Gov
The 2023 Catalyst Program incorporates the SEID program with some funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to create one competitive grant program. Required letters of interest due April 21, 5PM.
Could this be a funding source for your project?
- Approximately $44 million for grantees in across the 4 NBRC states.
- Up to a $1,000,000 maximum award to eligible infrastructure projects and up to a $500,000 maximum award for all other types of eligible projects.
- Eligible to Apply - Public bodies, IRS recognized 501(c) organizations, Native American tribes, and the four NBRC State governments.
The Sustainability and Resilience February Newsletter also included a summary of relevant trainings and funding resources, read on here.
These grants and more on our webpage - Grants and Other Funding.
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Marissa joins SMPDC as a member of the Resilience Corps program, a joint effort of AmeriCorps and the Greater Portland Council of Governments. During her eight month term of service, Marissa will be working on climate action planning, outreach and engagement, and data analysis for municipal and regional projects. Before joining the Resilience Corps, Marissa worked as a naturalist in the Appalachian Mountain Club Huts in New Hampshire, and at Allaire State Park in her home state of New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Willamette University with a double major in Environmental Science and Music. | | |
York River recieves Wild and Scenic Designation | |
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After over a decade of hard work, the York River was federally designated into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, making 30.8 miles of the river available to new funding and protection through the National Park Service. Efforts on the designation have been taking place since 2009, with several rounds of congressional, town, and community support needed. The York River Study Committee was formed in 2015 and includes appointees from Eliot, Kittery, South Berwick, and York.
SMPDC partnered with the Committee to receive a Coastal Communities Grant from the Maine Coastal Program to examine development potential within the York River Watershed and associated impacts to key resources (including natural, historic, and cultural resources) as part of the Committee’s efforts to evaluate the York River for designation. The resulting report and online StoryMap were used as part of the York River Watershed Stewardship Plan, and as documentation in support of the River’s designation.
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Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission | Website
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