Presentation to
GrowSmart Maine Summit
October 21, 2014
Sustain Southern Maine Partnering to strengthen our economy,
environment and community
Rebeccah Schaffner, AICP
Director of Sustain Southern Maine
Greater Portland Council of Governments
www.sustainsouthernmaine.org • Find us on FaceBook • Follow us on Twitter
◊GPCOG
➢3 year
➢$1.6 million grant
➢42 municipalities
Sustain Southern Maine
Partnership
Pilot Projects
Strategies & Actions
Knowledge Sharing
Investment Alignment
Process
A Consortium of Committed Partners
45 Municipal and County Governments, Educational
Institutions, and Special Interest Non-Profits
Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission
Muskie School of Public Service/ University of Southern Maine
City of Portland
Town of Brunswick
Cumberland District of Public Health
Maine Department of Transportation
Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority
Portland Housing Authority
Sanford Housing Authority
City of South Portland
Avesta Housing Trust For Public Land
City of Saco
York County Community Action Corp
Town of Gray Wells Reserve
Westbrook Housing Authority
Town of Standish
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
Bicycle Coalition of Maine
City of Biddeford Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System
Mobilize Maine
Cumberland County Brunswick Housing Authority
Eat Local Foods Coalition of Maine
Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority
Opportunity Alliance
Town of Kennebunk
Portland Society of Architects
Southern Maine Agency on Aging
Town of Scarborough
Town of Wells
City of Westbrook
Southern Maine Regional Water Council
York County City of Sanford
Kittery Area Comprehensive Transportation System
Town of Kittery
GrowSmart Maine
Biddeford Housing Authority
Town of Freeport
Maine Clean Communities
Partnership
11 Centers of Opportunity Pilot Projects
From north to south: ❑Gray Village, Gray ❑Porters Landing
Neighborhood, Freeport ❑Steep Falls, Standish ❑Prides Corner, Westbrook ❑India St Neighborhood,
Portland ❑Mill Creek, South Portland ❑Dunstan Corner, Scarborough ❑Main St, Saco ❑West Kennebunk Village,
Kennebunk ❑Wells Center, Wells ❑Kittery Foreside, Kittery
Pilot Projects
Knowledge Sharing
➢ Building capacity in our Partners and stakeholders
➢ 10 Sessions:
1. Placemaking to Sustain a Region
2. Regional Population and Housing Trends
3. The Local Food Movement and How It Affects the Southern Maine Economy
4. Affordable Housing for Regional Prosperity: By Choice, Not Chance
5. Maine’s Energy Choices: A Critical Factor in Our Future Prosperity
6. New Mainers and Economic Vitality
7. Regional Transit for Southern Maine – What’s Next?
8. Adapting to Climate Change in Maine
9. Trails and a Livable Southern Maine
10. Creating a Regional Model of Southern Maine
Regional Capital Improvement Plan
➢Identify capital improvements necessary to implement COOPs
➢Identify capital improvements
➢Sustainable
➢Greatest impact
➢Identify needed funding
➢Identify funding sources
Investment Alignment
1. The recommendation is a proven practice, or compliments, expands, or strengthens a program or policy already in place;
2. Is economically feasible to implement; 3. Investment in the recommendation will result in long
term savings; 4. It benefits other desired outcomes such as economic,
public safety, health, and environment; 5. Steps to implementation can be defined and measured;
and 6. It can be implemented primarily through Local or County
government.
Strategies & Actions Keeping It
Relevant
Multi-Modal Transportation ➢ PACTS & KACTS
➢ Multimodal Transportation Plan + 6 reports
➢ → 22 Priorities
➢ 2 Knowledge Sharing Sessions:
Strategies & Actions
Housing ➢ Regional Housing Council
➢ Regional AI
➢ + Market Analysis & Housing Efficiency Reports
➢ → 19 Priorities
➢ 1 Knowledge Sharing Session
Infrastructure ➢ Drinking Water, Waste Water & Broadband
➢ Southern Maine Regional Water Council
➢ Mapping
➢ 3 sets of priorities:
➢ → 12 Drinking Water
➢ → 11 Wastewater
➢ → 11 Broadband
Strategies & Actions
Mobilize Maine ➢ Statewide initiative thru the EDDs
➢ 2 Comprehensive Economic
Development Strategies
➢ Priority Areas
➢ GPCOG → 6
➢ SMPDC → 7
➢ 1 Knowledge Sharing Session
New Mainers ➢ Outreach to Underserved Populations
➢ Inventory of vocational services
➢ Service providers & other advocates
➢ 1 Knowledge Sharing Session
➢ Report on Supporting Vocational Improvement
➢ → 22 Priorities
Strategies & Actions
Energy ➢ Use & Emissions Inventory
➢ County Climate & Energy Plan
➢ Reconvened experts
➢ 1 Knowledge Sharing Session
➢ → 23 Priorities
Climate Change ➢ Convened expert stakeholders
➢ The People and Nature:
Adapting to a Changing Climate
➢ Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment
➢ 1 Knowledge Sharing session
➢ → 11 Priorities
Strategies & Actions
Community Conservation ➢ Conserved lands map
➢ Convened Land Trusts
➢ 1 Knowledge Sharing session
➢ → 9 Priorities
Partnership Pilot Projects Knowledge Sharing Outreach to Underserved Population Open House Website & Social Media
Public Engagement
Lessons Learned
Data and Information vs Process
Data & Information
Housing Affordability
Transit Needs
Embrace Diversity
High Energy Costs
Resiliency Challenges
Lessons Learned
Process
Density
Partnership
Leadership
Leveraging