Comprehensive Plan

After voters adopted the comprehensive plan on November 4, 2025, the State deemed the plan incomplete and inconsistent with the Growth Management Act. Harpswell requested an exemption to the requirement to have a growth area. The State found the Town’s request to be unclear, and asked for the plan to be revised to more prominently show the lack of growth areas and request for an exemption. The Comprehensive Plan Task Force worked on a number of edits, including updating some data and clarifying the growth area exemption request. On January 29, 2026, the State deemed the amended plan complete and consistent with the Growth Management Act. The CPTF will be having two public hearings on the draft amendments. See the meeting details below to attend. Residents will vote on the amended plan at Town Meeting on March 14, 2026.

February 3, 6:00 PM at the Harpswell Town Office, 263 Mountain Road - Notice of Public Hearing

February 26, 5:00 PM at the Harpswell Town Office, 263 Mountain Road - Notice of Public Hearing

Amended Plan:


What is a Comprehensive Plan and why do we need it anyway?

Did you know that the 2005 Comprehensive Plan is the 5th one that Harpswell has created?  It serves many functions. It is an expression of the community's vision of its future.  It is a guide to making the many public and private decisions that will determine the Town’s future.  It is a source of basic information about the Town's natural resources and its human environments.  The Comprehensive Plan is not a zoning ordinance, nor is it a law.  It is an advisory document setting out the community's goals for the future and the policies and programs necessary to move the Town in the direction of its goals. It is a foundation on which to build the Town's land use controls and a road map that can be used by the Town's elected and appointed officials to steer the Town on an agreed-upon course.

The State of Maine mandates, through its Growth Management Program (Title 30-A §4312), that all communities update their comprehensive plan every ten years.  Through the establishment of this law, the State effectively overrides a town’s “home rule” authority and establishes the way in which communities engage in land use planning and regulation. 

The Comprehensive Plan is an effort to balance anticipated growth with the community’s natural and cultural values. It is an expression of the residents’ values, as communicated to the Harpswell Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC). 

 

Click the links below to review the 2005 Comprehensive Plan.

The Plan was adopted at the March 13, 2005 Town Meeting.

Intro and Table of Contents

Part I

Constraints Map

Existing Land Use Map

Future Land Use Map

Part II

 

Last updated Saturday, March 7, 2026 6:34:54 PM