Gateway 1: Innovation in Land Use and Transportation Planning

CHALLENGE: In 2004, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) faced a major challenge with residents of mid-coast Route 1. A history of dispute had built a residual distrust among stakeholders, making it progressively more difficult for MaineDOT to move ahead with any improvement project. Development along this critical route had been the scene of multiple public controversies over the past decade; communities, state and federal government all struggled to balance diverse and often conflicting transportation needs. The Gateway 1 challenge was to convince twenty-one communities to collaboratively develop a long-term plan for a shared highway that would foster economic prosperity while protecting the scenic beauty and quality of life that makes Route 1 a tourist destination.

STRATEGY: As Public Involvement lead, Morris helped develop a new collaborative regional planning model for Gateway 1, designed to build trust among and gain support from all participants. The model is a truly participatory format, where the communities are empowered to make decisions and direct the potential outcomes of the plan.

In Phase 1, Morris and the Gateway team worked directly with the public to identify each town's main concerns about Route 1. Integral to this process was face-to-face meetings with a broad range of stakeholders, a survey to solicit broader public input, and several rounds of meetings with community officials.

At the end of this phase, Morris and the team presented findings and goals to each the twenty-one communities. All signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to work with state and federal agencies and each other to develop a regional plan for Route 1.

Phase 2 began with each town’s assignment of representatives to sit on a steering committee and a town response panel. This move into the broader participatory realm was marked by launch of a website, www.gateway1.org.

To-date, the steering committee has been meeting for about 18 months and has developed and agreed upon three planning scenarios, which have been presented to the broader public. The next step is to develop the corridor-wide plan and, even more important, a method of implementing it beyond individual town boundaries. It is the implementation aspect of Gateway 1 that makes it unique, as the Steering Committee intends to recommend a planning structure that goes outside traditional town and state boundaries.

RESULTS: The Gateway 1 project will be completed in 2008. Major strides have already been made in terms of awareness of land use/transportation issues and the need inter-community collaboration. Media coverage has been widespread and positive.