Technical Assistance

Active Transportation (Walking, Bicycling, Complete Streets, etc.)

Affordable Housing:

Agriculture:

Brownfields

Capital Improvement Program

Climate Variability

Conservation

Form Based Codes

  • Form Based Codes. Form-based codes are a new regulatory tool for shaping a community's character that can supplement or replace traditional zoning.

GIS Applications in Maine

Local Planning Resources

Municipal Ordinances: Models and Information

New Ruralisum

Scenic Resources

Service Centers

  • DACF Service Centers - While Maine is a rural state, it depends on its urban service centers for its well-being. These communities vary tremendously in size and appearance, but share three attributes: a) they are job centers, b) they are retail centers, and/or c) they offer an array of social, cultural, health and financial services to the surrounding region.

Smart Growth & Sprawl

Stormwater Management

  • 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.

Wind Energy

  • Professional Land Use Planning Assistance
    Upon request from the municipality, your regional planning organization will provide basic technical assistance with the Maine Model Wind Energy Facility Ordinance. Regional planners are available to answer questions about the Model Ordinance and to help local officials understand how it can be adapted for use with current local ordinances. Please note that the Model Ordinance provisions for the control of noise from large wind energy facilities (Type 2 and Type 3) is directly based on Department of Environmental Protection standards and that some technical questions regarding those standards may need to be referred to that department.
  • Maine Model Wind Energy Facility Ordinance (DOC)
    The Model Ordinance offers an example approach to local regulation of wind energy development and is provided for review, reference and consideration by Maine municipalities. There is no state mandate to adopt the Model Ordinance.
  • Guidebook (PDF)
    This companion Guidebook elaborates on certain aspects of the Model Ordinance and is designed to help municipal officials, citizens and prospective wind energy permit applicants better understand and interpret it. The final draft of the Guidebook is now available. The draft Guidebook we are now providing is very nearly our final product. The primary change we still expect to make will be to add a sound measurement methodology for Type 1 (i.e. 'small') facilities. Our goal is to provide practical sound measurement instructions that can be carried out locally using simple and relatively inexpensive equipment.