Land Use Planning
About Us
The Land Use Team provides technical assistance to municipalities, advises the legislature, coordinates with other state agencies, and, in general, advocates for sound land use planning. The Land Use Team administers SPO's Community Planning and Investment Program (CPIP), covering the topic areas of community planning, growth management and smart growth.
What does the Land Use Team do?
The members of the Land Use team provide a variety of services to citizens, municipalities, regional councils and the legislature. The following Frequently Asked Questions detail some of the services we do, and do not, provide.
Can you provide data for my town's comprehensive plan or other local report?
Upon request from a town's comprehensive planning committee, we will collect and share some types of state data that are appropriate and useful to towns undertaking local comprehensive planning efforts. Because we collect this information from a variety of state agencies, towns should expect two or three months between the time of their request and data availability. When state agencies have created geographic information system (GIS) layers with their data, we will provide that as well. While we will not provide full demographic and economic profiles for communities and regions, a considerable amount of Census information is available on SPO's website. If you are a town official or on a local comprehensive planning committee, you may contact State Planning Officeto request a data package for your town.
They mentioned something about State Review of our comprehensive plan at a town meeting. What were they talking about?
When requested by the town, and for towns that receive a Comprehensive Plan or Update Grant, the Land Use Team is responsible for reviewing local comprehensive plans and growth management programs for compliance with the Planning and Land Use Regulation Act (30-A M.S.R.A.§4301 et seq - also known as the "Growth Management Act"), and advising communities on how specific elements of their plans and programs can be brought into compliance with the Act. Upon request and depending on staff availability, we also periodically review land use ordinances for consistency with local plans. The team does not provide consulting services for communities developing plans or ordinances.
What can the Team do to help me implement a project in my town?
The Land Use Team is an advocate for Smart Growth and Growth Management principles in state and federal policies, programs, regulations and investments. However, we will not intervene between a community and a developer/applicant or abutter/other interested party who is unhappy with a local development review decision or interpretation of a local ordinance or state statute. We will not take sides in any debate over a local development proposal. We will not act as a general ombudsman for individuals, municipalities or other organization who are having problems with a local or state agency, regulation, program, or statute.
Can you answer my specific land use question?
We provide technical assistance to municipalities, mainly through dissemination of publications and other documents available (both on-line and in hard copy). We will also make formal presentations and host workshops and training sessions for communities or other organizations when possible. Our staff is available on a limited basis to field questions over the phone or via e-mail, but we generally refer callers to their regional councils for most questions. See also: I have a question about interpreting state laws or local ordinances - can you help me?
We do not provide ongoing or in-depth technical assistance, or research or consulting services to private individuals or communities. Who can help you: As a private citizen, the first place you should go is to your local planner or town clerk. The regional councils or councils of governments are available to answer questions and provide general technical assistance services to communities, but usually charge an hourly rate when a certain time threshold is surpassed. A listing of planning consultants is also available; planning consulting services are provided by regional councils and by private planning firms at hourly rates or under contract.
I have a question about interpreting state laws or local ordinances - can you help me?
We do not provide legal opinions, including interpretations of local ordinances and compliance with state statute or federal law. Who can help you: If you are a private citizen, we suggest you consult a land use attorney. If you are a town official, your municipal attorney should be able to provide an opinion. If you are a town official and your town is a member of the Maine Municipal Association (MMA), the MMA legal staff is also available to provide general advice.
Will the State Planning Office be involved in siting a new school in my community?
While we will provide general assistance with school siting decisions, including facilitating discussions between the school district and the communities involved, SPO does not provide in-depth consulting services to school districts for site selection. You need to hire a consultant for more complete assistance.
Where can I find copies of SPO publications?
Several publications, including technical assistance bulletins, manuals, and guidebooks are available for free downloading online. If you wish to order a hard copy from SPO, the Publications Order Form will explain the nominal fees required to cover costs of copying and mailing the documents. If you wish to borrow a publication from the state's "Smart Growth Tool Box," contact either the State Planning Office in Augusta or your local Regional Council.
Where can I go to find out more about planning, land use, growth management and smart growth?
We maintain a library of planning-related documents, technical assistance files, and selected examples of comprehensive plans and ordinances that are available to be checked out from the State Planning Office in Augusta. The Regional Councils we work with also maintain a "Smart Growth Toolbox" and have their own libraries of documents, technical assistance publications and videos available for loan.
Do you have copies of all the adopted comprehensive plans and land use ordinances in the State?
We do not necessarily have the most up-to-date town plans, ordinances, and amendments. The best place to get the most up-to-date version of local plans or ordinances is the municipal office of the respective town or city. The Maine Municipal Association has many local documents on-line as do an increasing number of communities. The Land Use Team does maintain a computer database with an incomplete, but improving, record on the status of comprehensive plans and ordinances, including when they were adopted and if they have been found consistent with the state Planning and Land Use Regulation Act. Contact The State Planning Office for more information about the municipal database.
What else does the Team do?
A lot! In addition to direct work with towns, reviews of plans and ordinances, coordination with other state and federal agencies, the Land Use Team participates and supports several Smart Growth partnership efforts, including the Eco/Eco Smart Growth Forum and the GrowSmart Maine. We also research cutting edge and emerging land use policy issues and work to implement change at the state and local levels in Maine. We advise and work with the Legislature on Land Use and Growth Management issues, including staffing the Community Preservation Advisory Committee.
You didn't answer my question here. What do I do?
Complete the information request form or contact one of the team members below.
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Who is on the Land Use Team?
Stacy Benjamin
Stacy is the land use program director. She is responsible for managing the team and its programs. She coordinates the team's regionalism strategy. Stacy enthusiastically incorporates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and her experience in municipal planning into her work with the Land Use Team. She has a master's in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts and a BA in biology with a focus on environmental science. Prior to joining SPO, Stacy worked as an environmental consultant with the Maine Department of Transportation since 1993. She is a member of the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Searsmont and has been a member of the town's Board of Assessors since 1998.
Ruta Dzenis
Ruta supports the municipalities served by the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission and the Greater Portland Council of Governments. She is the team's primary contact to the Maine State Housing Authority , Department of Economic and Community Development and regional councils' technical assistance coordinators. Ruta's background includes community based planning, economic development, and waterfront planning and design. Prior to joining the land use team, she served as project director for planning, design, and construction of Erie Canal Harbor in downtown Buffalo. Ruta is a certified planner through the American Planning Association and holds a master's degree in city and regional planning from Pratt Institute.
Frank Hample
Frank is the team liaison with towns served by the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, and the non-coastal towns of the Penobscot Valley Council of Governments. He is also the office's liaison with the Maine Forest Service. Frank started with the Growth Management Program in 1989 when it was part of the Department of Economic and Community Development. Prior to this Frank worked as a planner with the Executive Department's Division of Economic Opportunity and its successor agency, the Division of Community Services.
Phil Carey
Phil joined the team in 2005. Phil was a planner with the Town of Brunswick for the last 15 years working on development review and long-range planning projects under the direction of the planning director. Prior to that, he worked for a private planning firm in Falmouth. He is a landscape architect by training, but knows land use issues and Maine law from very concrete, day-to-day application. Phil serves the towns of the Washington County Council of Governments, Hancock County Planning Commission, and some of the towns in the Penobscot Valley Council of Government. He also manages the team's grant programs and working with a number of state agencies on policy concerns.
Tom Miragliuolo
Tom joined the team in the summer of 2006. He had been a Planner with the State Planning Office waste management and recycling program since 2000. Tom administers the Community Planning & Investment Grant Program, the team contact for the Department of Transportation, and is the team contact for the communities of the Northern Maine Development Commission. He maintains the State Planning Office's website and holds a BA in Geography from the University of Alabama.
John Weber
John is the newest member of the team, on board since the fall of 2006. John is the team contact for towns served by the Mid-Coast Council for Business Development and Planning, the Mid-Coast Regional Planning Commission, and Lincoln County. He is also the teams liaison with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the Department of Environmental Protection. John has previous experience with land use and environmental planning at a variety of different geographic levels, including at the waterfront, neighborhood, community and watershed scales.
Patrick Wright
Patrick was hired by SPO in January 2007 to complete an 18 month case study on the implementation and effectiveness of comprehensive plans in coastal towns. Patrick is a graduate student in Community Planning and Development at University of Southern Maines Muskie School. He is also a member of the Solid Waste and Comprehensive Plan Review committees in his hometown of Woolwich. Prior to graduate school, he built timberframe homes with the Shelter Institute, and was a teacher at Hyde School.
Patrick’s project is designed to get on the ground feedback about the implementation of comprehensive plans. He is looking for trends throughout all towns to see what types of strategies tend to face the greatest political and/or technical barriers to implementation. The results of both the quantitative and anecdotal evidence that he collects will be used to better inform and guide SPO’s technical support, education, and outreach programs. He will also report to the legislature’s CPAC standing committee on future legislation recommendations based on his findings. This case study includes fourteen coastal towns that span nearly the entire length of the Maine coast. These communities vary greatly in population, demographics, municipal staff, and planning challenges. However, they have all submitted and adopted comprehensive plans that are consistent with the Growth Management Act.
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