Transportation & Land Use

Regional Corridor Coalitions

Program Description
The purpose of the coalitions is to strengthen the dialogue between communities, explore opportunities for municipal collaboration and delivery of services, and to develop short and long-term recommendations for future infrastructure and coordinated corridor development. Further goals of the coalitions are to preserve mobility, improve safety, and develop new land use policies. Towns are also joining forces to study regional models for service delivery, capital purchases and joint training programs.

Click here to download the Cumberland County Strategic Transportation Investments by Corridor document

Funding
Funding has been provided by MaineDOT, the Maine Turnpike Authority, NOAA, and town contributions.

Staffing
Corridor Coalitions are staffed by:

Neal W. Allen, GPCOG Executive Director

Caroline Paras, GPCOG Economic and Community Planner

Matti Gurney, GPCOG Planner/GIS Analyst

Rosemary Kulow, GPCOG Planner

with assistance from other GPCOG and PACTS staff.

Central Corridors Coalition

Coastal Corridor Coalition

Lakes Region Transportation Coalition

Metro Regional Coalition

Southern Maine Corridors Coalition

Resources and Links

Central Corridors Coalition

Cumberland, Gray, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Pownal, Raymond, and Windham

Gray and New Gloucester officials began a series of regional meetings in October 2001. The Central Corridors Coalition is the result of cooperative efforts between GPCOG and the towns of Cumberland, Gray, New Gloucester, North Yarmouth, Pownal, Raymond and Windham. The purpose of the Coalition is to guide future development along significant transportation corridors in the central Cumberland County region. Other participants include MaineDOT, Cumberland Countyand the Maine Turnpike Authority. The Coalition identified guiding principles, inventoried corridor elements, prioritized capital projects, and created a generalized zoning map. Six of these towns are meeting in a parallel effort to study regional cooperation on police, fire, rescue and dispatch operations, and they implemented two joint hazardous waste collection days in August 2003. Projects in 2004 included open space planning, shoreland zoning, hazardous waste collection days and access management. The 2006 work plan focused on access management, the impact of the Gray Connector and other regional initiatives.

Minutes - January 17th 2008

Click here to download the 2003 Central Corridors Coalition Phase I Report in pdf format.

 

Coastal Corridor Coalition

Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, North Yarmouth, and Yarmouth

The towns of Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, North Yarmouth and Yarmouth approached GPCOG in 2001 asking for ideas for regional cooperation. GPCOG responded by forming the Coastal Corridor Coalition and secured funds from MaineDOT and NOAA to support this study effort. Unique to this corridor is the fact that MaineDOT is exploring the feasibility of re-establishing passenger rail service from Portland to Brunswick. The five towns are also meeting regularly to evaluate models for a regional dispatch service. In 2006 the five towns began to explore the idea of a Coastal Comprehensive Plan.

Portland North Small Starts Alternative Analysis -The MaineDOT Office of Passenger Transportation is beginning the FTA "Small Starts" planning process to include the cities and towns between Portland and Brunswick and Portland and Lewiston/Auburn in July of 2007. MaineDOT has conducted an Environmental Assessment (EA) and other planning studies in the corridors.  GPCOG and AVCOG have been invited to assist MaineDOT with the public outreach process and other planning tasks; GPCOG will work through their Coastal Corridor Coalition on this effort. 

In order to qualify as a "Small Start" the total project cost must be less than $250 millio, with no greater than $75 million in requested FTA Section 5309 Capital Investment Grant funding.  In addition, a project must meet one of the following guideway critera:

• Be a fixed guideway for at least 50% of the project length in the peak period and/or
• Be a corridor-based bus project with the following minimum elements:
  • Substantial Transit Stations
  • Signal Priority/Pre-emption (for Bus/LRT)
  • Low Floor / Level Boarding Vehicles
  • Special Branding of Service
  • Frequent Service - 10 min peak/15 min off peak
  • Service offered at least 14 hours per day

To learn more about the RFP and what MaineDOT is planning along these rail corridors, go to http://www.maine.gov/mdot/aco/acohome.php

For the Portland North Small Starts Public Participation Plan  Click here

Stakeholder Meeting

Minutes - March 20th 2008

Click here to download the Coastal Corridors Coalition Phase I Report in pdf format.

 

Lakes Region Transportation Coalition

GPCOG, SMRPC and the Lakes Region Development Council (LRDC) worked with corridor towns and MaineDOT to form a Lakes Region Transportation Coalition in December 2004. This new corridor coalition includes 19 municipalities between Portland and Fryeburg. The purpose of this coalition is to: (1) assess regional transportation, land use and economic development needs for the region; (2) prioritize transportation infrastructure improvements; and (3) communicate these priorities to MaineDOT and the Legislature.

Since January 2007 GPCOG has worked with the Lakes Region Transportation Coalition in developing commuter bus service from Harrison to Portland. GPCOG and the Coalition have held monthly meetings on the proposed service developing a potential route and time table along with potential funding sources. At our May meeting Lisa Villa Harrison Selectwoman requested that Lakes Region Television provide a brief (20 minute) interview with David Willauer and Keith Luke Windham Economic Development Director. Lakes Region Television agreed to provide the resources and staffing necessary for the production. The video is below (in three segments).

 

 

Minutes - July, 2008

Minutes - June 12, 2008

Minutes - March 6th 2008

Minutes - February 6th 2008

Minutes - Januray 7th 2008

Minutes - September 17th 2007

Minutes - August 8th 2007

 

Metro Regional Coalition

Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland and Westbrook

The Metro Regional Coalition has been meeting regularly on an informal basis since March 2006 for the purpose of expanding opportunities to collaborate in the provision of municipal services, including the identification of areas of common interest and the evaluation of new collaborative initiatives.

The Metro Regional Coalition includes representatives from the elected leadership and staff of Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, Portland, Scarborough South Portland and Westbrook.

The Guiding Principles of the Metro Regional Coalition include:

• Each participating municipality shall individually determine the extent to which it chooses to participate in the deliberations and initiatives of the Coalition; and
• Participation in any projects, studies or initiatives developed through the Coalition will be voluntary by the municipal and County participants and other non-member municipalities and government organizations; and
• Regional or collaborative efforts among any members of the Coalition should be pursued only if they either lower costs and/or improve services for the participating members; and
• Successful regional or collaborative initiatives among members of the Coalition must offer a mutual benefit to all the participants; and
• Members of the Coalition recognize that there is value in maintaining local community or neighborhood connections or identities; and
• Members of the Coalition recognize that, by participating through a collaborative or regional process, each member can benefit through the sharing of information to achieve “best practices” developed in one or more of the communities; and
• Membership in the Metro Regional Coalition is not limited to existing participating members but may be broadened to include other communities upon mutual agreement of member and prospective member municipalities or government organizations.

Following is a list of examples of municipal collaboration within the Greater Portland Region.

• Regional Disaster Aid Agreement for Cumberland County
• Public Safety Mutual Aid Agreements
• Maine Regional Financial Services Group-procurement of common accounting software
• PACTS Regional Transportation Plan
• GPCOG Cooperative Purchasing Program
• Cumberland County Community Development Block Grant Entitlement Initiative
• Reorganization of Regional Waste Systems as Eco Maine and increased community recycling participation
• Formation of sub-regional corridor coalitions to facilitate municipal collaboration and planning
• South Portland–Westbrook sharing of Assessor staff
• Public Works Directors equipment sharing program
• Falmouth-Portland coordination agreement of “Silver Bullet” recycling containers
• Regional Aerial Mapping and Data Imagery
• Casco Bay Inter-local Stormwater Working Group involving 14 municipalities to facilitate the cost effective planning and management of unfunded, federal stormwater management requirements.
• Scarborough-Saco sharing of staff recycling coordinator
• Regional household hazardous waste collection programs

Minutes - May 7, 2008

Minutes - April 2, 2008

Minutes - February 28, 2008
Minutes - January 17, 2008
Minutes - December 6, 2007
Minutes - September 20, 2007
Minutes - April 12, 2007

Southern Maine Corridors Coalition

MaineDOT has launched a statewide campaign to improve public outreach and implement corridor-based planning. In response to this new MaineDOT initiative, GPCOG and SMRPC convened the Southern Maine Corridor Steering Committee in September 2004. The purpose of this Committee is to: (1) integrate transportation, land use and economic development planning; (2) help improve the MaineDOT public participation program; and (3) provide input to the Regional Needs Assessment.

Click here to download Public Involvement Plan.

Click here to download the Southern Maine Corridors Committee Regional Transportation Assesment. Note: This file is 24 MB and 216 pages long. It may take a few minutes to download.

This committee is being staffed by the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission (SMRPC), the Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) and MaineDOT. The following themes will shape the work of this committee during the next year.

• Utilize creative techniques for increased public participation
• Focus on corridor-based planning (Example: Pennsylvania Corridor Plan)
• Create a Statewide Regional Needs Assessment by region

Resources and Links

MaineDOT

Maine Turnpike Authority

Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission

State Planning Office

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)