About the Comprehensive Plan

Photo by John Lynch

A comprehensive plan is a document with a long-range view that guides municipal policy, growth, and investment over the next 10-20 years. The plan incorporates community vision, values, and data analysis on existing conditions in areas like housing, transportation, population, and public facilities.

Why Plan?

Raymond’s last comprehensive plan was completed in 2004, so it’s time for an update to incorporate new data, what has changed about the community, and highlight the core parts of Raymond’s identity that have stayed the same.

In Maine, a state-certified comprehensive plan is required to apply to many grant and loan programs, and for a town to enact certain types of fees and regulation.

Project Team

This Comprehensive Plan Update is led by Raymond’s volunteer Comprehensive Plan Committee and supported by town staff. The Committee meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM. All meetings are open to the public. Details and virtual attendance options are listed on the town calendar.

Raymond has hired North Star Planning, a team of Maine-based planning consultants, to lead this effort.

Project Phases

Data Analysis

Beginning in May 2023, North Star Planning will compile inventory chapters to capture what Raymond is like today and how it’s changed over time. The team will also review previous planning efforts and analyze data to make projections about future growth, change, and capacity needs. These chapters will be reviewed by town staff, the Comprehensive Plan Committee, and the results will be presented to the public at a meeting in Fall 2023.

Vision & Values

In Summer 2023, the Comprehensive Plan Committee will connect with stakeholders and community members to survey big questions about vision, values, opportunities, and needs. A survey will be available on this website, and will be shared at local meetings, events, and places around town. The results will be analyzed by the project team, and will inform the data analysis and form the basis of a community Vision Statement in late 2023.

Raymond Tomorrow

Now that we’ve identified where Raymond is today and developed a consensus-based community vision, in 2024 the project team will start looking to the future. This phase will identify goals, policies, and strategies to pursue Raymond’s vision. A community-wide Future Land Use Workshop will occur in Spring 2024, where participants will share input on what development in Raymond should look like and where it should happen.

Implementation Plan

In Summer 2024, the team will put together all the goals, policies, strategies, and future land use feedback to create a plan for implementation. This work will include town committees and staff to look at short-, medium-, and long-term next steps to move towards the vision identified by the community.

Final Plan Drafting and Adoption

Finally, the team will put it all together into a final plan document, with opportunities for public review. The final draft will proceed to public hearing for local acceptance, and then the team will help guide the plan through the state acceptance process. The projected completion date is the end of 2024.