2023 mount desert island Housing solutions summit

SERVICES PROVIDED: planning, FACILITATION, PROJECT MANAGMENT, summary report, IMPLEMENTATION

The Musson Group was the project lead for an all volunteer, island-wide effort to bring together key representatives from institutions, businesses, and organizations across the island to seek tangible and measurable solutions to the island housing crisis. The 2023 Housing Solutions Summit was a one-day event held at the MDI Biological Laboratory. The summary report captures the objectives, key findings, and recommended action items that emerged from the small group and collective discussions that took place at the summit.

Visit the MDI Housing Solutions Initiative page to learn more about this effort. Click on the report cover image to view the MDI Housing Solutions Summit Summary Report.

city of Rockland, maine Comprehensive Plan

Services Provided: Comprehensive Planning; Community outreach & faciltation

The Musson Group was the project lead for the City of Rockland, Maine Comprehensive Plan. The Rockland Comprehensive Plan is an ambitious vision for the City of Rockland, Maine based on analysis, strategic thinking, and the heart and soul of the Rockland community. This plan will serve as a flexible and informative guide for land use decision-making over the next decade. See the plan on the City of Rockland’s website and the City of Rockland’s Future Land Use plan story map.

A high-quality comprehensive plan exists not just to meet state-mandated goals, but to help a community find consensus on seemingly intractable issues, inspire communities to think intentionally and holistically about how they want to manage change, and to act as a springboard for future planning projects. Comprehensive plans can also help define how a municipality can support other important community topics like public health, energy use, aging in place, food systems, and climate resilience.  

TMG has experience assisting communities with their comprehensive plan updates. This work includes facilitating the comprehensive planning process: public outreach; working with local committees, municipal staff and key stakeholders; data gathering and analysis; writing and mapping; and submission for state approval.

FISH RIVER chain of LAKEs CONCEPT PLAN

SERVICES PROVIDED: COMMUNITY OUTREACH & FACILITATION; SCENIC RESOURCE PLAN; PROJECT MANAGMENT

The Musson Group was the project lead and primary planning firm for a multidisciplinary project to develop a 30-year Concept Plan for over 50,000 acres of land in Northern Aroostook County for Irving Woodlands.

The plan provides the framework for responsible future development and resource protection in an area of Maine’s North Woods that has substantial recreational and residential pressures and is important to Maine’s forest products industry.

The planning process included a detailed inventory of the area’s natural resources, overall development patterns, and key infrastructure.

The project included a region wide public participation and outreach process that included multiple public meetings, engagement with over 400 existing camp owners, and active coordination with state resource agencies and NGOs.

The final concept plan included a major revision to the regulatory framework for development in this region as well as the dedication of areas specifically for economic growth, resource protection, and public access. 

The plan also includes a large conservation easement for permanent working forest protection, areas for community economic development, and a cap on future residential development.