Land Use Planning
Land use regulations include zoning, subdivision review, development (site) review, building code, and ordinances regulating daycares, mobile home parks, sludge spreading, signs, wind turbines, cell towers, or other potential nuisances.
Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) provides professional and technical assistance with developing, implementing, administering, and enforcing land use and building regulations.
The following are examples of land use services:
- Contracted Town Planner: NMDC is able to provide town planner services to a municipality on an hours-per-month contract basis.
- Technical Assistance: Staff are available by phone, email, or in-person to answer questions of interpretation of regulatory language. When needed, staff may attend planning board or board of appeals meetings to assist a board in the interpretation of provisions of their ordinances.
- Ordinance Developing: NMDC provides member towns with assistance in drafting ordinance language, ranging from simple amendments to entirely new ordinances. This assistance may include a number of meetings with local boards and other groups to gain information for the drafting process.
- Comprehensive Planning: Staff will provide assistance to municipalities beginning the development of their comprehensive plans. Staff is available by phone, email, or in-person to answer questions related to the development and review of comprehensive plans. At times, staff can also provide data to be included in the local plan.
- Board Training: Staff will provide on-site or centralized training to volunteer boards. Topics include general board procedures, development procedures, forms and checklists, review practices, and legal requirements. From time to time, NMDC hosts a series of workshops on procedural or technical planning topics at its Caribou office.
Contact
Jay Kamm, Senior Planner
PO Box 779
Caribou, ME 04736
(207) 493-5757
(207) 551-5807 (cell)
jkamm@nmdc.org
- Adult Entertainment Establishments
- Fireworks Restrictions and Limitations: A community which has adopted a fireworks ordinance must submit a copy of the ordinance to the Office of the Fire Marshal within 60 days. (8 M.R.S.A. 223-A (2))
- Introduction to Transfer of Development Rights Programs
- Model Low Impact Development Ordinance; Low Impact Development Presentation, KVCOG
- Maine Model Wind Energy Facility Ordinance (DOC) offering a comprehensive wind energy facility review process and standards for voluntary adoption by Maine municipalities.
- State Subdivision Law: An Introductory Presentation
- Subdivision & Petroleum Don’t Mix, article by George Seel, Bureau of Remediation & Waste Management, DEP. Discusses the location of subdivisions.
- Site Plan Review Handbook: A Guide to Developing a Site Plan Review System
NMDC provides comprehensive planning services funded through the Department of Conservation, Agriculture, and Forestry and the Department of Transportation; municipal dues; and fee-for-service arrangements. Staff provides guidance ranging from phone calls to attendance at meetings and field visits.
NMDC offers assistance to Aroostook County communities in all areas of the preparation of local comprehensive plans.
NMDC helps communities:
- Form a committee with sufficient local input to prepare a representative comprehensive plan
- Develop a community vision
- Write a comprehensive plan through a contract for services and get it approved by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
Comprehensive Plan Resources
The development of a comprehensive plan requires a significant amount of time and data. There are several locations where data and other information can be obtained.
- Maine’s Growth Management Act
- Chapter 208 Comprehensive Plan Review Criteria Rule
- Community Visioning Handbook: This handbook describes what a community vision is, provides a guide to create the community vision, and gives an example of one community’s vision.
- Maine Stream Habitat Viewer
- Beginning with Habitat
- Economics and Demographics
- American FactFinder
- Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Municipal Land Use Planning
NMDC is currently seeking properties for our Brownfields program.
Funding is still available for Brownfield environmental site assessments in Phase I and Phase II, but property owners, municipalities, and others need to nominate sites for possible review.
Learn More (videos):
Phase I and Phase II Assessments
Contact:
Jay Kamm, Senior Planner
PO Box 779
Caribou, ME 04736
(207) 493-5757
(207) 551-5807 (cell)
jkamm@nmdc.org