GPCOG tells Cumberland council region needs tens of thousands more homes; zoning, town land and infrastructure cited as levers

Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) officials laid out regional and local housing data at a Town Council workshop on Jan. 27, saying state and regional projections show a shortfall of housing that local governments must help address.

GPCOG Executive Director Christina Egan said a recent state study found the state needs roughly "about 84,000" new housing units by 2030; for GPCOG's service area that translates to an aim of about 24,000 new units, and Cumberland is counted in county-level needs of roughly 18,000 units. The presentation focused on what tools a town can use, from zoning changes to use of municipal land and infrastructure investments, to encourage housing in places that make sense for the community.

Why it matters: GPCOG framed the shortfall as a regional problem that will reshape development patterns. Presenters said if towns keep restrictive zoning and fail to plan for infrastructure, development will shift to fringe areas — producing sprawl and pushing housing farther from services — and affordability will worsen.

At the workshop, Christian Rodman, GPCOG senior planner, reviewed local indicators that signal strain in the Cumberland market: a near-zero vacancy rate, a housing stock dominated by single-family homes (roughly 83% of units), and high cost burden among renters (72% of renters spending more than 30% of income on housing, per the American Community Survey cited by GPCOG). Rodman said zoning that technically allows multifamily development often contains dimensional requirements — lot sizes, setbacks and other standards — that make multifamily building functionally impossible in much of the region.

GPCOG recommended that Cumberland consider several complementary approaches rather than a single fix: (1) review and amend zoning standards that effectively prevent multiunit housing; (2) consider municipal tools such as an affordable housing or development fund and donating town-owned land to make projects financially feasible; (3) plan proactively for infrastructure (water, sewer, roads) in places where additional housing is desired; and (4) convene stakeholders to align a local vision before major projects move forward.

Councilors and staff asked how the town's comprehensive plan and mapping of sewer/water corridors would inform any ordinance work. Rodman and Egan said GPCOG will tailor its upcoming zoning review to Cumberland’s priorities and infrastructure realities. GPCOG said it will begin a February review of the town's zoning code and aim to deliver a short memo or presentation by June, followed by a more detailed set of recommendations if the council requests them.

GPCOG said it will also pursue state grant-funded site analyses for municipal parcels if the town requests it; presenters described a prior GPCOG parcel study that identified one promising municipal site, one marginal site and one site unlikely to work for housing. GPCOG described existing technical help it offers, including Great Maine Neighborhoods (greatmaineneighborhoods.org), housing needs assessments, tracking of building permit data, and short-term rental monitoring.

Council response: Several councilors said they want the town to align a goal-setting process — including the planning board and the comprehensive plan committee — before taking major zoning changes. Others asked that GPCOG coordinate the review with the comp-plan work under way and provide regular data updates so the council can measure progress.

What's next: GPCOG will begin a documented zoning review in February and expects to present preliminary findings by June. The council and comp-plan committee will decide how to use GPCOG's recommendations and whether to pursue any municipal site analyses or grant applications recommended by GPCOG.