mrld.net blog

MRLD’s work integrating the car, public transit and pedestrians with neighborhood development is receiving increasing attention. This holistic approach to transportation and community design are hallmarks of context sensitive solution planning. The office recently completed a Master Plan for Steep Falls, which is at the crossroads of the recently designated Western Maine Scenic Byway and the proposed extension of the Maine Mountain Division Trail. The Master Plan recommends reactivating train service from Steep Falls to Portland serving commuters and tourists. The Steep Falls Master Plan also identifies a new sidewalk system creating connections between the elementary school, the post office, the library, the Town Park, 2,000 acres of public forests and access to the Saco River. MRLD principal, Mitchell Rasor, was a guest speaker at The Franklin Reclaimation Authority Re-Visioning Workshop discussing urban design precedents integrating transit with neighborhoods in Portland. He was also a panelist on “Context Sensitive Design: Planning with People” at the most recent GrowSmart Maine Annual Summit.

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The Topsham Village Main Street Plan prepared by MRLD was adopted in January 2008. The Plan addresses a range of issues including pedestrian safety, housing and economic development, design guidelines and infrastructure improvements. The Plan creates five new zones along the two-mile Main Street running from the Androscoggin River to I-295, creating a counter point to the regional scale and identity of the Topsham Fair Mall area. The strategies for establishing a defined 600-acre village follow the Brookings Institute report, “Charting Maine’s Future” for promoting sustainable prosperity and quality places in Maine. Among their recommendations are to invest in our downtowns, reduce sprawl and suburbanization and take advantage of our town’s “good bones”. MRLD is now working with the Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee to implement the key aspects of the Plan. The The Main Street Village Plan received unanimous support from a range of local and regional organizations and was covered in a MaineBiz article on revitalizing main streets. The guiding elements of the Plan are already shaping development along Main Street such as the new Town Hall Complex.

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