Community Guided Planning and Zoning

in Washington County Unorganized Territories

Launched in January 2015, WCCOG assisted Washington County with a 2-year Community Guided Planning and Zoning (CGP&Z) process for the Unorganized Territories of Washington County.

Frequently Asked Questions

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The CGP&Z planning process offered plenty of opportunities for public input. Community Outreach meetings schedule here.

Inventory, meeting times/minutes, draft documents and opportunities for input are posted on the CGP&Z Process page.

See the first 3 meetings to create the Process Document and overall scope of the project here.

Why Plan Now?

There are many planning issues facing the Washington County Unorganized Territories. The Maine Land Use Planning Commission (the LUPC or Commission) serves as the planning and zoning authority for the unorganized and deorganized areas of the State, including townships and plantations. These areas either have no local government or have chosen not to administer land use controls at the local level. Prior to the creation of the LUPC in 2012, the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) had regulatory authority within the unorganized and deorganized areas of the State.

In 2012, the Maine Legislature made a number of changes to the statute that applies to the Commission’s activity (Guidance for Interpreting the 2010 Comprehensive Plan Use Plan, 10-5-2012). In addition to changing the Commission's purpose statement and scope, the 2012 changes direct the new Commission to initiate prospective zoning in coordination with local planning organizations and regional planning and development districts.

Since these changes took effect, Community Guided Planning and Zoning was completed in Aroostook County and the Western Mountains of Maine. Community Guided Planning and Zoning in Washington County seeks to achieve the following:

Identify areas appropriate for growth based on existing patterns (therefore improve efficiency), natural resource constraints, and future needs
Provide predictability for property owners and neighbors
Reduce permitting process to one step (substantially reduce the need to rezone first) NOTE: achieving this will depend on how successfully those in the planning process anticipate the interests/needs of landowners within the jurisdiction, but obviously interests/needs change as land ownership changes and time passes.

The products created by the Community Guided Planning and Zoning Process include:

Of highest priority: a prospective zoning proposal for the Unorganized Territories of Washington County. This is supported or complemented by:

a regional plan for the Unorganized Territories of Washington County;
GIS maps for hydrology, infrastructure and services, natural and cultural resources and parcels; and
a capital investment plan that identifies cost-effective public investments to promote the desired development, and defines a source of funds for those investments that is fair to the taxpayers of both the organized and unorganized areas of Washington County.

These products, approved by the Land Use Planning Commission in July of 2017, will be in effect in the Washington County portion of the Commission's jurisdiction.