The Municipal Planning Assistance Program (MPAP) provides land use planning expertise, guidance, and technical assistance to Maine citizens, municipalities, regional councils, state agencies, and the Legislature. MPAP administers Maine’s Growth Management Law and promotes growth management principles in state and local policies, programs, regulations, and investments to help communities grow sustainably while aligning local decisions with state goals and objectives.
Implementing Maine's Growth Management Law
Through the Growth Management Law's review and certification process, MPAP guides local authorities in the development of comprehensive plans and land use ordinances that are tailored to the needs of the individual community and consistent with state land use policies.
Providing technical and financial assistance
MPAP provides technical and financial assistance, including model ordinances and other guidance documents; workshops and webinars; one-on-one technical support; planning data; training for local officials; annual grants to Regional Councils and competitive grants for specific planning projects.
Coordinating with state agencies
MPAP works with agencies across state government to assure that their policies and programs align with and support state land use policies. We accomplish this through participation on interagency working groups, grant review committees, and advisory boards. Comments that we solicit as part of our review of municipal comprehensive plans also helps assure that the missions and policies of our partner agencies are appropriately reflected in local plans.
| Name | Role | Contact Information | What We Can Help You With |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joan A. Walton, AICP | Director | 207-419-8661 | Contact for land use planning, growth management, comprehensive planning, ordinance development, subdivision, site plan and development review, grants and contract management, code enforcement, and the integration of land use, transportation, economic development, and sustainability |
| Tom Miragliuolo | Senior Planner | 207-441-1288 | Contact for Maine Growth Management Law rules and statutes, comprehensive planning and ordinances |
| John Brochu | Senior Planner | 207-458-8860 | Contact for housing planning, construction practices, sustainable development, natural resource management, GIS analysis, suitability modeling, remote sensing, LiDAR interpretation, and data visualizations |
| Ashley Ambrosio | Planner II | 207-816-0032 | Contact for MPAP GIS data, maps, and applications, as well as data visualization, geospatial analysis, and GIS technical assistance |
How does MPAP support land use planning efforts throughout Maine?
- Reviews municipal comprehensive plans and coordinates participation across several other state agencies for consistency with Maine's Growth Management Law
- Maintains a broad range of comprehensive planning data, consolidating essential state and federal datasets on topics from water resources and natural habitats to housing, transportation, and land use. MPAP also maintains an open data hub that shares additional public resources to support local and regional planning efforts throughout Maine.
- Consolidates resources from government agencies and numerous regional and local planning organizations for public access. This includes hosting of public webinars on a recurring basis.
- Supports Regional Councils through financial assistance.
- Administers the Coastal Community Grant Program.
- Identifies and updates the list of Maine’s Service Center communities.
- Provides Planning Guides, Model Ordinances and Regulations, Technical Assistance Bulletins, and other publications
Not finding what you need?
Email info.moca@maine.gov or call the MOCA phone line at (207) 287-6622 (MOCA), and we'll connect you with the right resource.