Bridging Portland’s Divide: How to ensure residents are part of the development process

portlandGrowSmart Maine continues to work on the conversation started at the June 9th, 2016 Smart Growth Forum- A Panorama on Portland’s Growth: Can Public Process Bridge the Gap? 

Based on discussions with the 125 attendees at the forum and follow-up discussions with Portland’s neighborhood associations we have launched a project to clarify and illuminate the City’s public process around permitting and development.

Helping residents understand how the development process works – what rules are in play and who makes decisions – is the first step to more balanced and agreeable conversations.

The result? We’re working on a series of easy-to-understand “primers” on the City of Portland process, why developers make the decisions the do, and how to hold a really good, productive neighborhood meeting. These primers will be available in print and in video early in 2017. Our next step will be to spread the word further by adapting these primers to communities outside Portland.

Stay tuned to find out more about the primers and the process. Widespread understanding within the municipal, developer, and resident Portland community is needed to make this project successful and we will be reaching out this winter to gather that support and engagement. A lot of our outreach will be using social media. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter if you aren’t already!

@growsmartmaine  |  #growsmartME

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