From Plans to Porches: Let’s Learn About Housing Tools

Tuesday, October 14, 4:00-5:30 PM

Virtual webinar

SMPDC has produced a comprehensive toolkit covering four regulatory tools that seek to support housing production in the region. Join us to hear our planners break down the toolkit, and show you real life examples of how communities are using these tools today.

This June, SMPDC planners finalized a new study, Future Development and Housing Suitability in Southern Maine, to respond to the concerns about increasing development and growth in our region. Municipalities can use the results of this study to help assess the effectiveness of current ordinances and determine priority locations for future housing development.

This project is the first of its kind to pilot a geospatial buildout scenario and housing suitability analysis in 7 case study communities, identifying areas most suitable for residential development. This transferable methodology could be conducted for any communities' long-range planning or comprehensive planning processes.

Southern Maine Climate Action Workshop 2025: 

Charting the Course for Resilience

Wednesday, November 12th, 9 – 4 PM

UNE Biddeford Campus

Join SMPDC and the University of New England for the second year of the Southern Maine Climate Action Workshop. Municipal staff, committee members, and community orgs: Learn how communities in southern Maine are taking action to address climate change impacts and build community resilience, and what you can do in your communities and organizations.

Stay tuned for registration and agenda information. Learn more about last year's workshop here. 

The Nature Based Strategies for a Climate Ready Southern Maine team is pleased to share a new online mapping tool to aid coastal communities in southern Maine in addressing coastal flooding and shoreline erosion. Created in response to needs identified in the Climate Ready Coast – Southern Maine regional coastal resilience plan, the mapping resource is designed to help determine suitable locations for strategies to increase coastal resilience.

The First Regular Session of the 132nd legislature adjourned in June, and with it came the passing of several new planning and land use related state laws. SMPDC is working on materials and workshop opportunities help you understand and adapt to these changes.

Below are some key statutes with implications for land use and zoning ordinances:

• L.D. 1829: An Act to Build Housing for Maine Families and Attract Workers to Maine Businesses by Amending the Laws Governing Housing Density
• L.D. 427: An Act to Regulate Municipal Parking Space Minimums
• L.D. 997: An Act to Allow Residential Use Development in Commercial Districts
• L.D. 970: An Act to Support Affordable Housing Development

We will be hosting a virtual workshop the last week of October to walk through each of these new statutes and address exactly how they impact local zoning, share what we know about the state’s rulemaking process, and let you know how SMPDC can help your community come into compliance with the new laws. Invite coming next week!

SMPDC’s Economic Recovery Hub Program wrapped up earlier this year with a final round of technical assistance grants. After processing more than 200 applications since the Hub program began in 2023, SMPDC has issued $484,000 in financial assistance grants and provided technical assistance to more than 90 small businesses and nonprofits in the region.

The program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and awarded by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), aimed to strengthen small businesses in York and southern Oxford Counties. In 2023, SMPDC kicked off the program with implementation of an Economic Recovery Hub grant award from the Maine DECD, awarding grants of up to $15,000 to businesses, many of which represented minority-owned, women-owned, and/or disadvantaged business enterprises. Businesses also received technical assistance with bookkeeping, web design and social media planning services from an array of providers. 

A comprehensive study of the Route 1 corridor in York kicked off on August 20th with a gathering of SMPDC, MaineDOT, town staff, and the VHB consultant team at the York Public Library. The project team then headed into the field to discuss issues and improvements for specific sites along Route 1.

The study, which will take place over the coming year, will address traffic safety concerns along the corridor as well as improvements for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.

Our Economic Development and Broadband staff have been busy convening partners and stakeholders around the region.

SMPDC met with stakeholders from municipal economic development, higher education, housing development, and advanced manufacturing earlier this summer to discuss the upcoming development of our 2027-2031 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). In August, our staff coordinated with the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) to hold a grants information session in Fryeburg. Representatives from local municipalities, the Eastern Slopes Regional Airport, and other organizations discussed eligible project ideas and methods to develop competitive grant proposals for the next NBRC grant round in Spring 2026.

Our staff has continued to convene community leaders for digital inclusion, discussing opportunities for collaboration and strategies to bridge the digital divide in their communities. This initiative began with a gathering of organizations serving older adults in Lyman, and will continue over the coming months with convenings of representatives from the Adult Education system and other sectors. Learn more below.