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