HELPING COMMUNITIES CHART THEIR OWN PATH

WE CREATE & SUSTAIN THE PLACES THAT MAKE NEW ENGLAND SPECIAL

 

Client Testimonials

 

“North Star was able to provide a clean up of work that the community struggled to compile for years, and turned a complex and laborious comprehensive planning process into a seamless and quality endeavor for the community. Our Council was more than proud to adopt a thoughtful plan that will ensure a positive future.”

Bath, ME Director of Sustainability & Environment

“Right from the start, the NSP team gets to know your community inside and out and maintains their enthusiasm through completion of each project. North Star brings professionalism and excitement from project management to communications and public engagement. The Yarmouth Comprehensive Plan was successfully adopted by the Town Council and found consistent by the state within our timeline thanks to the support from North Star.”

Yarmouth, ME Director of Planning & Development

 

Featured Projects

 
Featured
Yarmouth Zoning Audit
Yarmouth Zoning Audit

The 2024 Yarmouth Comprehensive Plan identified a high-priority action to assess barriers to housing development in the town’s zoning ordinance, and to recommend new Medium Density Residential zoning. This process involved a deep policy review, district-specific land use analysis, and a buildout study that modeled the district’s potential under existing and proposed standards.

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Lakes Region Homeless Services Study
Lakes Region Homeless Services Study

North Star Planning supported Levine Planning Strategies and Human Service Research Institute on a study for Cumberland County to evaluate the need and options for services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the Lakes Region, including the towns of Baldwin, Casco, Naples, Raymond, and Sebago.

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Yarmouth Comprehensive Plan Update
Yarmouth Comprehensive Plan Update

The Town of Yarmouth built off an earlier visioning process to develop a plan around 4 goals that came up over and over again during community engagement: increased inclusivity, expanded housing options, an enlivened local economy, and environmental protection. The resulting plan is centered on these priorities, with direct links to public feedback and a detailed list of actions to take for each one. These ideas are threaded through the plan’s Future Land Use Plan, which seeks to pursue all four goals while finding balance between them.

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Bath Comprehensive Plan Update
Bath Comprehensive Plan Update

Winner of MAP 2024 Plan of the Year! After a few years of internal work, the City contracted with North Star Planning in 2022 to hold public engagement events for the plan and complete the work staff had started. NSP hosted several in-person meetings and online activities to get wide-ranging input from the community and developed an implementation-focused final plan based around four big ideas for Bath.

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Little Falls/South Windham Villages Masterplan
Little Falls/South Windham Villages Masterplan

North Star Planning, in partnership with Aceto Landscape Architects (ALA) worked with the towns of Windham and Gorham to update the Little Falls and South Windham Villages Masterplan. North Star Planning led the public outreach and public facilitation process.

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North Windham Moves
North Windham Moves

North Star collaborated with Gorrill Palmer engineers and Aceto Landscape Architecture to develop this transportation planning and feasibility study for one of Maine’s most highly-trafficked corridors: Route 302 in North Windham.

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Latest News

Sam + Charles held the first Public Meeting for the Comprehensive Plan with Standish last week, where they presented their work-to-date on the Inventory Chapters. Standish, one of the larger rural communities in square miles in Southern, ME, sits o
Fabulous turnout for the Freeport Future Land Use workshop for their Comprehensive Plan! Working with @acetola , three scenarios were presented, prompting engaging dialogue on what smart, sustained growth can be in this extraordinary town!
At the Maine Downtown Conference today hearing from communities around the state about downtown and Main Street planning - from placemaking to emergency preparedness, people experiencing homelessness, and more. (And thanks @portlanddowntown for the b
Had our first public workshop for our project with @acetola to transform Washington Street in Auburn. Exciting to see positive energy from the community and property owners for this big visionary idea! As a bonus, the meeting was held at the Auburn A
Pop-up design survey in Freeport Town Hall! We're working with @acetola on updating the town's design standards, which will be supported by public feedback. It's fun to be a fly on the wall while people talk about what they like (and don't like!)
Almost 100 people here at @meetinghousearts and online for a community conversation on housing in Freeport! We’re here with @blumlevine from the Comp plan team and local expert John Egan to talk about Freeport’s housing needs and what can
Exploring the Little Androscoggin River in Auburn, a real hidden gem. Connecting the river and trails to new neighborhoods is central to the land use planning project we’re working on for the city.
Welcome to our newest planner, Addy Smith-Reiman! Took a team walk on a beautiful day in Royal River Park for her first day.