Sustain Southern Maine

GrowSmart Maine Summit 2012

CHANGE

1962• Only 3.5% of households had divorced head• 80% of women with children did not work• Only 1% of pop with “no religious preference”• 41% below poverty line in 1949; 20% by ’63• Gallup Poll: 95% of pop self-identified as

working class or middle class

Sustain Southern Maine

Sustain Southern Maine

• HUD Livability Principles–Provide more transportation choices.–Promote equitable, affordable housing.– Enhance economic competitiveness.– Support existing communities. –Coordinate policies and leverage

investment.

Sustain Southern MaineWhat we are trying to achieve

Our job: • To translate these principles into a format

that works for Southern Maine – and is desirable to Southern Mainers

Translation: • Find ways that the region can prosper –

short and long term - in the face of change

Charting Maine’s Future: 6 Lessons

1. Local independence is cultural, historic, and not to be ignored

2. Government is not always the most effective change agent

3. One state, diverse people4. Mainers are cautious5. Investment requires sustained commitment6. Rome wasn’t built in a day and it’s still there

Celebrate Home Rule!

• Instead of seeing this as an obstacle to change, use it as leverage

• Find those places where change benefits people and make it work

• This environment provides many opportunities

• Local home rule gives power to us!

Sustain Southern MaineThe Process

We know:1. People in Maine support preserving

rural character, quality of place and increased economic vitality

2. Encouraging higher density mixed-use communities linked by some level of public transit is a good first step toward reaching these (sustainability) goals

Sustain Southern MaineBegin with a Smaller Scale

ApproachWhat we also know:• Property rights are a high value in Maine• Creating a large-scale “on paper” regional

plan will, by itself, not do much to move the needle

So, a different approach:• Sustain Southern Maine is adopting a

community-driven, smaller scale approach using the power of home rule

Sustain Southern MaineCreating Centers of

Opportunity1. Mapped all existing locations where market-driven

growth is already occurring2. Which locations can absorb growth and are best

suited for density3. Determine which communities WANT this growth4. Designate them as pilot/demonstration projects5. With an open mind, see what we can learn about

making this model work in Maine6. Roll out what we learn to region at large7. Provide tools/planning support for all towns to

adopt as they choose

Existing Market Centers in Greater Portland area

Sustain Southern MaineCenters of Opportunity

A center of opportunity will be:• Mixed use, no more than ½-mile in diameter, able to

absorb growth, with appropriate infrastructure• Highly competitive for the next generation of job and

housing growth in Southern Maine • Tapping into the market’s desire for safe, livable, and

walkable neighborhoods, • A testing ground where lessons learned in generating

economically sustainable and livable centers can be used throughout the region by other communities

Sustain Southern Maine:Sample Criteria

• Community support for concept• Public sewer/water/soil quality for on-site treatment

systems• Transportation intersection• Growth area – able to accommodate major growth• Open to community planning• Presence of existing business, public services,

recreational, cultural areas, access to fresh food• Quality of school system/support• Replicable to other communities

Subregions/Study Area

Communities Interested in Hosting a Center of Opportunity

• Brunswick• Yarmouth• Falmouth• Freeport• Standish• Windham• Raymond• Gray • New Gloucester• Portland• (South Portland)• (Cape Elizabeth)• Scarborough• Gorham

• Westbrook• Biddeford• Saco• Kennebunk• Kennebunkport• Hollis• Sanford• Wells• Lebanon• Acton• Kittery• South Berwick• Berwick

Pilot Centers of Opportunity

• Standish• Gray • New Gloucester• Portland• South Portland• Scarborough

• Westbrook• Kennebunk• Sanford• Wells• Kittery

Sustain Southern MaineCenters of Opportunity

• If in the next 25 years, 40-50 such locations attract and absorb growth and generate economic stimulus in this manner, we will have successfully changed the pattern of growth in Southern Maine in a way that is:• Sustainable• Economically beneficial• Supports preservation of rural character

And in so doing, we will have built a collaborative regional framework that gives the region a stronger voice.