In my eight years as a state legislator, we debated numerous efforts to evaluate the impact and cost of tax incentive programs, but made little progress. We even looked at the legislative process, hoping to encourage more collaboration between legislative policy committees to measure the value of tax policy proposals. I endorse this bill because it does provide a comprehensive, thoughtful approach to accomplish these goals.

-Markos Miller, Guest Blogger

Residents and visitors to Maine alike appreciate our special Quality of Place, whether it’s the coast, the woods, farms, or downtowns. Since its founding, GrowSmart has been dedicated to the preservation and strengthening of such assets. The special character of our downtowns is particularly affected by the connection between our transportation and land-use policies. The City of Portland is currently engaged in a re-examination of the auto-centric transportation planning from the last half of the 20th century in order to restore a sense of Place to a desolate transportation corridor in the heart of the city.

As a part of our commitment to strengthening Maine’s economy, GrowSmart Maine is particularly enthusiastic about well grounded, thoughtful and creative proposals which seek to grow the economy in a sustainable manner while at the same time preserving our state’s unique character. We believe this bill fits that description, and I’m eager to engage in the conversations today and afterwards, as we all seek to measure the impact related to the various reports highlighted in the bill summary.

Maine’s long held tradition of open recreational access to private lands is truly unique in this country. Landowners are facing increasing challenges related to this open access, and their concerns as outlined in Tom Doak’s testimony, warrant addressing. GrowSmart Maine has attended several meetings on this topic hosted by the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine and the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine and we support their efforts.

PORTLAND – GrowSmart Maine has received a $46,000 grant from the Quality of Place Fund of the Maine Community Foundation for its work to promote Maine’s quality of place by integrating working and natural landscape conservation, economic growth, and community revitalization. $10,000 of this award is intended to support GrowSmart Maine’s Summit 2012.

It’s 2012 and the Maine Legislature is in the house.

As the second regular session of the 125th Legislature gets underway, I wanted to reach out and share with you the issues we will focus on, and to encourage you to do your part on the issues that matter to you.  It is always a challenge to focus GrowSmart Maine’s limited time and energy on the issues with the greatest impact, for better or worse, for core components of our mission; economic development based on investments in innovation and quality places, and protecting those places through strategic land conservation and downtown revitalization across the state.

Planners, conservationists, and citizens throughout Maine are concerned about the impact of proposed changes to Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) on Maine’s North Woods, and are urging the Legislature to examine the proposal carefully and think long and hard about the importance of Maine’s signature natural resource.

GrowSmart Maine, in partnership with Smart Growth America, is pleased to announce two out of the 15 communities that have been selected to receive this year’s free smart growth technical assistance are from Maine – the City of Eastport and the Northern Maine Development Commission.   Portland, Maine was selected last year to participate in the Complete Streets program offered by the EPA. Stretching from Maine to Washington State, these communities represent major cities, suburban communities, and rural towns, showing that all types of communities are interested in using smart growth strategies to build stronger local economies, create jobs and improve overall quality of life.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects to award between $1.8 to $3.8 million in funding for projects across the country to help restore urban waters by improving water quality and supporting community revitalization. The funding is part of EPA’s Urban Waters program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve, and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, recreational and employment opportunities in nearby communities.

Public Forum in Lewiston Tonight at 7, on LURC and a national forest in Northern Maine.   GrowSmart Maine is actively engaged in conversations about the future of LURC; working with others who have recommended changes to how the Land Use Regulation Commission...