Land Use & Zoning | Lincoln County Reg 3

Land Use and Zoning

Land use planning and zoning are crucial for towns in Maine as they help to regulate and manage the use of land within the community. These tools ensure that development is done sustainably and beneficial for the town's residents, businesses, and environment. By implementing effective land use planning and zoning, towns in Maine can promote economic growth, protect natural resources, and maintain the character of their communities.

At Lincoln County Regional Planning, we offer a range of Planning services related to

Land Use and Zoning
Comprehensive Plan
Ordinance Review & Development
Planning Board Assistance
Research & GIS Mapping
Workshops & Training

Comprehensive Planning

What are Comprehensive Plans?

How do they benefit towns?

What is the Growth Management Act?

The Growth Management Act, also known as the Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act, helps communities manage their land use and growth. Established in 1988, this act aims to create a framework within communities to create their own vision for its future. These documents need to be state-approved and can last for two years.

Comprehensive Plans are an opportunity to guide development within your community. These plans address topics like housing, natural resources, and climate change. You can find a link to your town's comprehensive plan under the "Our Region" tab.

Having a complete comprehensive plan enables towns to access significant funding opportunities, such as Community Development Block Grants. Through the comprehensive plan, towns will gather data on concerns like lack of housing stock, aging sidewalks, or the need for historic preservation. These plans take into account such information and provide a pathway to address issues.

Ordinance Review

LCRPC provides preliminary assistance with land use ordinances, subdivision ordinances, and shoreland zoning ordinances. We can assist with editing and provide assistance to towns within our region to make sure municipalities can achieve their goals.

Most recently we assisted the Town of Whitefield as their Planning Board began a review of their Building and Development Ordinance. During this period we had an initial meeting with the Planning Board to understand their main concerns and were able to follow up virtual and provide comments as the planning board worked to update section by section.

Please reach out to Emily Rabbe for assistance.

L.D. 1829 Updates

L.D. 1829, An Act to Build Housing for Maine Families and Attract Workers to Maine Businesses by Amending the Laws Governing Housing Density

(Signed by Governor Mills on Friday, 06/20/2025)

This bill builds off L.D. 2003 with the goal of removing additional barriers to getting accessory dwelling units (ADUs) constructed. Below is a graphic made by staff to help explain the impacts this bill will have on landuse in Lincoln County: