South Portland Progress
CLIMATE RESILIENCE
1 Complete
14 IN PROGRESS
2 Not started
(updated March 2023)
Integrate resilience standards and targets into Portland and South Portland’s land use code to minimize flood risk and promote resilient buildings and neighborhoods citywide.
Status: In Progress
Update: Completed a dynamic coastal flood inundation model for South Portland; received funding for a Coastal Resilience project which will use the model for community engagement and integrate it into the Comp Plan update in FY23; aiming to develop a climate resilience zoning overlay in FY24 (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: No new incompatible, vulnerable, or hazardous uses built in areas of highest flood risk by 2026 (with adoption of resilience overlays)
Build knowledge, tools, and resources on climate risks and adaptation options for buildings and property.
Status: In Progress
Update: Convening a staff cohort to develop an integrated planning process for resilience measures across City departments; in FY24 will explore participation in FEMA community rating system (updated May 2023)
Transformative potential: Resilient
Key Milestones: All city residents have access to tools to assess future flood risk to property by 2026; Maine real estate flood risk disclosure required by 2026
Establish open space climate resilience goals and protocols for monitoring process towards those goals in Portland and South Portland’s open space planning.
Status: In Progress
Update: Adopted an ordinance to tier City properties for open space protection; adopted park and open space zoning districts that reflect current and future land use intentions; updated Open Space Acquisition Fund to acquire new or augment existing open space; in FY24 will work with Parks Dept to assess stormwater/floodwater infiltration, carbon sequestration, heat mitigation, and biodiversity/habitat connectivity in open spaces (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Benchmark ecosystem and resilience metrics for open spaces and establish performance goals by 2028
Continue to expand access to resilient and energy efficient affordable housing, contributing to diverse and inclusive communities.
Status: Complete
Update: Planning commissioned a Housing Needs Assessment to document existing housing conditions, identify market and other forces that affect supply and demand, and identify gaps or deficiencies in maintaining equitable access to housing (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Establish affordable housing goal through comprehensive plan or standalone process*
*South Portland-specific milestone
Expand the “cooling capacity” of Portland and South Portland.
Status: In Progress
Update: Council will adopt the tree protection ordinance in FY23; Parks Department is pursuing funding for a tree inventory and canopy assessment in FY24 (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: All residents live within a half mile of a cooling center by 2035; all residents live within a half mile of a park or open space by 2035
Cultivate healthy, regenerative, and just food systems.
Status: In Progress
Update: Parks Department established a community garden at Redbank Village in FY23 and is updating the community garden at Hinkley Park in FY24 to add more garden spaces and a food forest (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Establish small grants for food system innovators by 2025; secure funding to commission foodshed assessment by 2028; expand access to community agriculture to all neighborhoods to meet demand
Continue to prioritize decision-making processes and transit investments that advance equity in our cities.
Status: In Progress
Update: South Portland is part of GPCOG’s “Bus Ambassadors” program, which aims to help people, especially new Mainers, navigate using transit (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Address first round of proposals made by Community Transportation Leaders by 2026
Support and strengthen our existing community resources.
Status: In progress
Update: – Developed an Equity Atlas to overlay neighborhood-level social vulnerabilities, climate risks, and community assets in FY22; aiming to create a Sustainable Neighborhoods program in FY24 (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Award the first round of community organizations or neighborhood groups with resilience grants by 2025
Create an ongoing platform for collaborative planning to ensure that Portland and South Portland’s port and waterfronts can respond, adapt, and thrive with new climate stresses.
Status: In Progress
Update: Waterfront Master Plan through Comprehensive Plan Update; Coastal Resilience project will aim to engage port entities (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Grant funding and partnerships secured for resilient working waterfronts project by 2026
Attract, mentor, and build the skills of our cities’ workers to partake in quality jobs that help build a diverse, resilient, and regenerative economy.
Status: Not started
Update: Mid-term strategy (Updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Targets set through the collaboration for net increases in individuals trained in specific sustainability and resilience fields
Build the capacity of the businesses and industries in our cities to bounce back, adapt, and innovate.
Status: In Progress
Update: Economic Development is promoting a harbor restoration project through public-private partnerships (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Revise land use policies to reduce barriers to traditional and merging marine related industries by 2026
Use modeling and flood data to upgrade the Cities’ stormwater and sewer systems to handle future climate scenarios.
Status: In Progress
Update: WRP continues to build its comprehensive asset management system with complete geospatial data for stormwater/sewer systems; an upgrade to the Pearl Street Pump Station followed by upstream gravity pipe upsizing are the next two major projects (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Resilient
Key Milestone: Full geospatial data set completed for sewer and stormwater system by 2024; hydrologic/hydraulic drainage model completed by 2028
Expand the use of green infrastructure systems to capture and infiltrate the first inch of stormwater in any storm.
Status: In Progress
Update: WRP is participating in the development of a regional model ordinance that will require new and redevelopment projects to implement LID strategies consistent with OCF resilience measures (Updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: 5% of the cities’ impervious surfaces converted to green infrastructure by 2035; 10% by 2040; and 15% by 2050
Build Portland and South Portland’s energy resilience.
Status: Not started
Update: Mid-term strategy (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Development of Resilient Power Plan by 2026; all new development over 500,000 square feet to evaluate district energy/microgrids starting within one year of microgrid enabling legislation
Adopt a risk-based transportation asset management approach.
Status: In Progress
Update: South Portland will continue to build out a complete geospatial inventory of transportation assets and add risk assessment to criticality and asset condition/ lifespan measures (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Resilient
Key Milestone: Climate hazards and resilience indicators applied to all asset management decision-making by 2028
Strengthen ecosystem resilience through enhancing connectivity, biodiversity, and healthy habitat.
Status: In Progress
Update: Parks Dept conducted education about winter moth and continues its campaign to remove invasive plants at City parks; completed a Willard Beach Master Plan in FY23; WPR continues to work closely with the Long Creek Watershed Management District to reduce stormwater pollution; WPR staff have been working closely with the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership to identify opportunities throughout the region for implementing living shoreline projects (updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Resilient
Key Milestone: Fertilizer ordinance adopted by 2022; No net coastal wetland loss by 2035; establish biodiversity and connectivity targets by 2028
Build back the health of our soils for ecological vitality, water infiltration, and carbon sequestration.
Status: In Progress
Update: Adopted a fertilizer ordinance and soil standards for new development; launch “100 Resilient Yards” program in FY23 (Updated March 2023)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Post-construction soil health standards adopted for new construction or major renovations by 2025; “100 Resilient Yards” achieved in each city by 2028
