February 2010: Sub-committees Make Progress Initial implementation work is well underway. The four Implementation Steering Committee sub-committees are established and each has met at least once to begin their work. Highlights to date include:
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January 2010 - Gateway 1 Implementation Underway The following sub-committees were formed to tackle the vast amount of work needed to occur over the next six months as Gateway 1 moves forward:
These sub-committees will be meeting frequently over the next several months, and will report their progress and recommendations to the full ISC at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, February 25th at 5:30 pm at Rockland City Hall. Meeting minutes from sub-committee meetings will be available on this site. For more information about their work or meeting schedules, contact Gateway 1 Project Administrator Stacy Benjamin by phone at (207)342-2929 or by email at sbenjamin@mainecollaborativeplanning.com. |
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Gateway 1: An innovative, community-led land use & transportation
planning project for Maine’s midcoast.
Click on map below for individual town information.
October 2009: Target Reached!
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As of October 31, community leaders in 15 towns and cities along the Route 1 corridor have voted to sign the Gateway 1 Cooperative Start-up Agreement. Participating state and federal agencies have also signed on, including MaineDOT, FHWA and the State Planning Office. Participating communities will appoint an Implementation Steering Committee member and an alternate to work over the next year in helping to shape the Corridor Coalition, the formal group that will ultimately have a deciding role in regional and local transportation project prioritization. For more details, see “The Home Stretch: March 2009” update below. The first Implementation Steering Committee (ISC) meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 10th at Rockland City Hall. Participating communities will be receiving a packet of information in early November that will include:
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August 2009: Gateway 1 Plan Implementation Underway
The Gateway 1 Corridor Action Plan has been printed and sent to all participating communities. Feedback from Steering Committee members and local officials has been overwhelmingly positive. MaineDOT has contracted with Stacy Benjamin, who is partnering with Evan Richert, AICP, Uri Avin, FAICP, and others to help coordinate the first phases of plan implementation.
The first step is to have at least 12 communities sign the Start-up Agreement (included in the Plan) by October 31, 2009. This agreement is essentially a hand-shake, and asks communities to appoint an Implementation Steering Committee member to help shape the Corridor Coalition and to work over the next year toward adopting the Gateway 1 plan as part of their local comprehensive plan.
Stockton Springs is the first community to sign on, in a unanimous vote taken August 6. Stacy and Evan are in the process of scheduling meetings and/or presentations in all corridor communities. Once 12 communities sign on, the process of officially forming the Gateway 1 Corridor Coalition can begin. An immediate benefit for participating municipalities will be access to planning grants from MaineDOT. Forming the Coalition also paves the way for municipalities to have a deciding role in regional and local transportation project prioritization.For more details, see “The Home Stretch: March 2009” update below.
Gateway 1 was launched four years ago to find a way to better connect land use and transportation planning along Mid-coast Route 1. Twenty communities identified a series of escalating problems that stemmed from a combination of increasing traffic levels and existing land use trends. From this, the Gateway 1 Corridor Action Plan was developed. The Plan asks municipalities to make adjustments to their Comprehensive Plans to support more densely built core growth areas, protection for specific viewsheds and wildlife habitats, and a more defined level of roadway access management.
Implementing the Plan will positively affect the functionality and aesthetics of Route 1, as well as increase the ability of corridor communities to attract new jobs, support transit and provide affordable housing.
What Gateway 1 will achieve: Overall, the Gateway 1 plan will preserve the valued character of the Midcoast - its New England villages and rural qualities - while supporting new jobs, affordable housing and transit opportunities. We will achieve this by providing incentives to locate jobs close to housing, by managing traffic and by encouraging the preservation of viewsheds, wildlife habitat and the Maine quality of life. |
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Early Fall 2008 Progress Report Early Spring 2008 Progress Report |
Gateway 1 is a landmark long-term strategic land use and transportation planning project for the Midcoast Route 1 region in Maine. A collaboration amongst communities and state agencies, Gateway 1 explores new ways of combining transportation and land use decision-making. By doing so, the project will balance community growth and local values with transportation services and needs. For Gateway 1 to be a success, we need to hear your opinions. Please click on Public Involvement to find out more.
The Gateway 1 project begins in Brunswick at the junction of I-295 and extends for 110 miles to Prospect. It directly affects the 21 communities (see interactive map above)through which U.S. Route 1 passes and also considers their interaction with the larger region, especially those peninsular or island communities whose residents, workers and visitors must use Route 1 for access.
