Land Use and Planning
Property Owners:
Before starting your next project visit the LUPC website for permit applications and related inquiries.
Highland Plantation Land Use Guidance Map Update
Highland Plantation Zoning Map Update webpage
The Land Use Planning Commission will be considering at their February
meeting the updates to the Land Use Guidance Map (zoning map) and also
the proposed rulemaking related to the location of development and
excluding Highland Plantation from primary and secondary locations. A
link to the agenda can be found here:
LUPC Calendar and Meeting Materials
History
The Maine Land Use Planning Commission (Commission) has posted proposed Chapter 10 revisions at the community's request to exclude Highland Plantation from eligible primary and secondary designations under the Location of Development rules.
The Commission reestablished land use authority in Highland Plantation in September in response to a petition from Plantation officials. Two community meetings have subsequently been held on September 13, (16 attendees) and October 22, (17 attendees), to discuss potential updates to the interim Land Use Guidance Map. In particular, considerations for the location of development and future rezoning options in Highland Plantation have been discussed at these meetings. Residents and landowners in attendance requested that the Commission exclude Highland Plantation from primary and secondary locations. This would effectively prevent future petitions to rezone land for most development subdistricts that allow for general commercial development or residential subdivisions.
At the November meeting, the Commission voted to initiate rulemaking to respond to this request. For more information about Highland Plantation's return to the LUPC service area, please visit the project webpage. For more information about primary and secondary locations, please visit the LUPC Adjacency Summary.
Notice of the comment period on the proposed changes was also published in the State's consolidated rule-making notice on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. The deadline for written comments was Wednesday, January 14, 2026, and the deadline for rebuttal comments was Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Stacy Benjamin (207) 441-3761 or stacy.benjamin@maine.gov.
