§ 30-A §4326 — Growth management program elements

Maine § 30-A §4326

• Jurisdiction: Maine
• Title 30-A: MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES
• Part 2: MUNICIPALITIES
• Ch. 187: PLANNING AND LAND USE REGULATION

Text

A growth management program must include at least a comprehensive plan, as described in subsections 1 to 4, and an implementation program as described in subsection 5.
1.
Inventory, analysis and needs assessment.
A comprehensive plan must include an inventory and analysis section addressing state goals under this subchapter and issues of regional or local significance that the municipality or multimunicipal region considers important. The inventory must be based on environmental systems mapping and other information provided by the State, regional councils and other relevant local sources. The analysis must include 10-year projections of local and regional population and residential trends; the best available projection of trends in economic activity; the projected need for public facilities and services; and the vulnerability of and potential impacts on natural resources. The department shall adopt rules to establish a tiered framework for inventory requirements based on municipal and regional conditions. The rules must allow flexibility in the timing and quantity of data collected so that communities may pursue a strategy of iterative rounds of public participation, data collection and data generation and require that the comprehensive plan include a map of existing conditions that identifies areas in the municipality where development would be inconsistent with the plan and areas that may be considered suitable for development. The map of existing conditions must, at a minimum, include data related to the environment, the natural resource-based economy, local or regional water supplies and natural hazards. The map is required only if the department provides data and tools that allow municipalities to produce the map at a minor cost or less.
2.
Policy development.
A comprehensive plan must include a local goals and policy development section that relates the findings contained in the inventory and analysis section to the state goals and to the local goals. The policies must:
3.
Implementation strategy.
A comprehensive plan must include an implementation strategy section that contains a timetable for the implementation program, including land use ordinances, ensuring that the goals established under this subchapter are met. These implementation strategies must be consistent with state law and guidelines for the implementation program as described in subsection 5 and must actively promote policies developed during the planning process. The strategies and timetable must guide the subsequent adoption of policies, programs and land use ordinances, including a capital investment plan for the replacement and expansion of public facilities and services required to meet projected growth and development, and periodic review of the comprehensive plan.
3-A.
Guidelines for policy development and implementation strategies.
3-B.
Future land use plan.
A comprehensive plan must include a future land use plan as described in this subsection.
4.
Regional coordination program.
A comprehensive plan must include a regional coordination program, which must be developed with other municipalities or multimunicipal regions to manage shared resources and facilities, such as rivers, aquifers, transportation facilities and others. This program must provide for consistency with the comprehensive plans of other municipalities or multimunicipal regions for these resources and facilities.
4-A.
Addressing sea level rise.
4-B.
Addressing climate risks and building resilience to natural hazards.
5.
Implementation program.
An implementation program must be adopted that is consistent with the elements of the comprehensive plan prepared pursuant to subsections 1 to 4 and this subsection. In developing its implementation program, a municipality or multimunicipal region shall employ the following guidelines consistent with the goals of this subchapter.

Legislative History

PL 1989, c. 104, §§A45,C10 (NEW). PL 1989, c. 271, §4 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 562, §6 (AMD). PL 1989, c. 878, §A84 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 79 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 278, §2 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 622, §F29 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 722, §7 (AMD). PL 1991, c. 722, §11 (AFF). PL 1991, c. 838, §§8-11 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 166, §§6,7 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 721, §A3 (AMD). PL 1993, c. 721, §H1 (AFF). PL 1999, c. 776, §8 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 406, §4 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 578, §15 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 592, §1 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 667, §§H1,2 (AMD). PL 2001, c. 667, §H3 (AFF). PL 2007, c. 247, §§2, 3 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. JJ, §17 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. JJ, §41 (AFF). PL 2015, c. 349, §§3-6 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 38, §§5-9 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 145, §§5-9 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 153, §§4, 5 (AMD). RR 2019, c. 1, Pt. A, §§40-42 (COR). PL 2021, c. 590, Pt. A, §§6-9 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 657, §§5-12 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 754, §§4-6 (AMD). RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §109 (COR). PL 2023, c. 646, Pt. A, §§35-38 (AMD). PL 2025, c. 388, Pt. D, §34 (AMD). PL 2025, c. 393, §34 (AMD).