Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission

What Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission does

Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) is a non-partisan council of governments founded in 1964 and headquartered in Saco, Maine, serving 39 member municipalities spanning York, southern Oxford, and Cumberland Counties — from Kittery at the southern tip of York County to Stoneham at the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. Its function is to provide technical planning expertise and inter-municipal coordination that individual small-town governments cannot efficiently build in-house, covering comprehensive planning, land use ordinances, housing planning, transportation planning through the KACTS Metropolitan Planning Organization, economic development, brownfields remediation, cooperative purchasing, and sustainability/resilience programming.

SMPDC's product surface is a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software platform. Core offerings include the Planning Services line (Land Use Ordinances, Maine Land Use Law guidance, Housing Planning), Economic Development support (Outdoor Recreation Economy, Northern Border Regional Commission coordination), the KACTS MPO transportation program (TIP, MTP, UPWP), and Sustainability & Resilience work anchored by the Community Resilience Partnership and the Climate Action Planning Cohort. Notable proprietary deliverables include the Plans to Porches Housing Toolkit (four municipal policy tools: Development Transfer Tools, Fractionalized Units for Density, In-Lieu Fee Structures, and Mixed-Unit Subdivision Incentives), the CAP Climate Action Planning Toolkit, and the Joint Land Use Study Implementation Framework supporting Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

The organization operates on a non-commercial revenue model funded by federal grants (DoD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Economic Development Administration, EPA Brownfields), state agency appropriations (MaineDOT, Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future via the Community Resilience Partnership), member-municipality support, and grants administration fees. Go-to-market is community-led: SMPDC engages 39 municipal members via direct staff contacts, dedicated program-area planners (e.g., Sustainability Division Director Karina Graeter, Sustainability & Resilience Planner Melanie Nash), public meetings, partner organization networks, and the Maine Planning Basics webinar series co-run with the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the Maine Association of Planners. Specific service pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with a membership-and-grant funding model.

Name

Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission

Legal name

Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission

Website

https://smpdc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission is a non-partisan council of governments, founded in 1964, that provides technical planning, economic development, transportation, and sustainability services to 39 member municipalities across York, southern Oxford, and Cumberland Counties in Southern Maine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: SMPDC receives funding through federal grants (Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Economic Development Administration), state programs (Community Resilience Partnership, MaineDOT), and administers grant programs for member municipalities.
2. Technical Assistance Services: Provides technical planning expertise to municipalities including comprehensive planning, land use ordinances, housing planning, transportation planning, and climate action planning services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SMPDC is a council of governments that delivers regional planning, economic development, transportation, sustainability and resilience, brownfields, cooperative purchasing, grants assistance, and GIS/mapping services to 39 member municipalities in York, southern Oxford, and Cumberland Counties in Southern Maine. It also executes special initiatives such as the Joint Land Use Study with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Plans to Porches Housing Toolkit, the Climate Action Planning Toolkit, the York County Trails Initiative, and Broadband & Digital Inclusion.

Product overview

Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC) is a non-partisan council of governments serving 39 member municipalities, offering a portfolio of planning and development services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Planning Services, Economic Development support, Transportation Planning through the KACTS MPO, Sustainability & Resilience programs including Climate Action Planning and the Community Resilience Partnership, Brownfields remediation services, and special projects such as the Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) with its associated Plans to Porches Housing Toolkit, York County Trails Initiative, and Broadband & Digital Inclusion efforts. SMPDC also provides Cooperative Purchasing, Grants Assistance, and Maps/GIS Data services. The organization functions as a regional planning authority providing technical expertise to municipalities rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Services
• Economic Development
• Transportation Planning (KACTS MPO)
• Sustainability & Resilience
• Climate Action Planning (CAP) Toolkit

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Maine Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaineDOT partners with SMPDC on transportation planning through the KACTS MPO, active transportation programs, and regional transportation improvement initiatives. SMPDC assists with MaineDOT's 3-year Work Plan implementation and Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Funding applications.
• Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency for the Community Resilience Partnership (CRP). SMPDC serves as a service provider for CRP, providing technical assistance to municipalities for enrollment and Community Action Grant applications.
• Southern & Midcoast Resilience Coordinator Collaborative (SMRCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMPDC serves as Regional Coordinator for SMRCC, providing support to CRP-enrolled communities in Southern Maine for resilience projects.
• Town of KitterycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary municipal partner for Joint Land Use Study. Kittery receives planning implementation support for transportation, housing, and climate resilience initiatives around the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional employer partner in JLUS addressing workforce housing, traffic demand management, and infrastructure resilience. Shipyard officials participate in Partnership Committee and joint planning initiatives.
• Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Hampshire regional planning organization conducting technical housing planning assistance through JLUS Phase IV grant.
• Rockingham Planning Commission (RPC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Hampshire regional planning organization hosting housing workshops and providing technical assistance through JLUS Phase IV grant.
• EPA BrownfieldssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal environmental agency supporting brownfields assessment and cleanup planning in the region.
• York CountysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner within SMPDC's service region.
• Greater Portland Council of GovernmentssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdjacent regional planning organization for coordination on regional planning initiatives.
• Maine Department of Environmental ProtectionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerState environmental agency partner for sustainability and resilience initiatives.
• Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and ForestrysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner, including Maine Coastal Program, for land use and resource planning.
• Maine Department of Economic and Community DevelopmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerState economic development agency partner for regional economic initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Maine Coast Heritage Trust: Regional land trust and conservation organization operating statewide in Maine. Adjacent to SMPDC's open space, coastal resilience, and resource management work, but operates on a conservation/membership model rather than as a municipal council of governments.
• GrowSmart Maine: Statewide smart growth and planning advocacy nonprofit in Maine. Shares SMPDC's mission around sustainable growth, land use, and community development, though it operates as a policy/advocacy organization rather than a direct municipal services provider.

Direct peers

• Greater Portland Council of Governments: Adjacent Maine council of governments serving the Greater Portland region. Provides the same mix of planning, transportation, economic development, and resilience services to member municipalities, making it the closest functional peer to SMPDC.
• Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments: Maine regional planning and development agency serving municipalities in the Androscoggin Valley. Offers the same council-of-governments model with land use, transportation (MPO), economic development, and aging services.
• Kennebec Valley Council of Governments: Maine regional planning agency covering the Kennebec Valley. Delivers comparable comprehensive planning, MPO transportation planning, and community development services to member municipalities.
• Penobscot Valley Council of Governments: Maine regional planning organization providing planning, economic development, and community services to municipalities in the Penobscot Valley. Closely comparable council-of-governments structure and service mix.
• Strafford Regional Planning Commission: New Hampshire regional planning commission explicitly partnered with SMPDC on the JLUS Phase IV grant for housing technical assistance. Delivers the same municipal planning and regional coordination services in a neighboring state.
• Rockingham Planning Commission: New Hampshire regional planning commission jointly hosting JLUS housing workshops with SMPDC. Provides directly comparable land use, transportation, and community planning services to member municipalities.

Others

• Northern Border Regional Commission: Federal-state commission funding economic and infrastructure development in northern New England, including Maine. SMPDC coordinates NBRC-funded initiatives in the Southern Maine portion of the service area, making it a primary funding partner rather than a direct competitor.
• National Association of Regional Councils: National membership association for regional councils and councils of governments. Represents the broader peer category SMPDC belongs to and provides industry advocacy, training, and best practices across the U.S. regional planning sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SMPDC_
• Facebookfacebook.com/Southernmaineplanning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-maine-planning-and-development-commission
• Instagraminstagram.com/southernmaineplanning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission