Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use And Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Auburn planning committee gives timeline and engagement tools for comprehensive plan update
Summary
City planning staff and the Comprehensive Plan Committee reported they have begun the 11-chapter inventory required by state law, launched a public survey and an interactive 'social pinpoint' site, and aim to present an initial draft by late May with adoption targeted for July 2026.
Auburn City Council received an update on the city’s comprehensive plan process at its May 5 meeting, including the statutory basis, current schedule, public engagement tools and next steps.
John Cleveland, chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, told the council the plan is a statutory 10–15 year document and that Maine state law requires municipalities to prepare a comprehensive plan on a regular schedule. "The reason why we're doing a comprehensive plan now is that the state law requires each community to do a comprehensive plan in statute every 10 years," Cleveland said.
Cleveland said a consultant was retained in January 2025 and that the committee has begun work on the 11 statutory chapters grouped into three sections: people/city services, natural environment and built environment. He said the committee aims to complete an initial draft of all 11 chapters for presentation at the end of May and to bring a completed plan to the council for review and adoption by July 2026.
David Hegater, the city planning director, demonstrated an interactive public engagement website (social pinpoint) and said the community survey launched May 1; he reported roughly 95 responses had been submitted by the time of the presentation. The site includes a survey, a map-based tool for residents to mark strengths, challenges and ideas, and a comment wall to gather community input.
Cleveland said paper survey copies are available at the Planning and Code office and that staff will reach out to the library and community groups to distribute materials. He said the committee will hold subcommittee meetings, encourage student participation, and review inventory and analysis at May, June and July meetings.
Councilors asked about paper copies and broader publicity; Hegater said staff has circulated outreach through established outlets and will follow up with the media and community partners. No formal council action was required; staff will return with subsequent updates and the draft chapters.
