Maine Office of Community Affairs’ (MOCA) Maine Coastal Program (MCP) and Municipal Planning Assistance Program (MPAP) awarded $649,975 in grants to support planning for more resilient coastal communities and working waterfronts.
The funds were awarded through the MCP Shore and Harbor Planning Grant and the MPAP Coastal Community Grant programs, which are both supported by an annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) award to MCP. The grants will support vital projects focused on conducting climate vulnerability assessments, designing resilient infrastructure for working waterfronts, and updating municipal land use regulations to address current and future coastal hazards and guide development away from vulnerable areas. Projects will begin in late spring 2026.
"As Maine’s communities continue to face a variety of threats, these grants underscore our commitment to helping them protect and enhance crucial coastal resources, water access, and infrastructure," said MOCA director Samantha Horn. "By investing in these planning projects, we help communities to create strategies that safeguard resilience and that prepare them to obtain implementation funding for infrastructure projects."
Coastal Community Grants (CCG)
The Coastal Community Grant program has been operating since 2012 and has distributed over $2.5 million to coastal communities. The next round of funding is anticipated in summer 2026.
Under the Coastal Community Grant program (CCG), MPAP has granted $294,060 to the following municipalities and organizations:
- Bath: “City of Bath Downtown Coastal Resiliency Plan.” The city will build on existing flood vulnerability assessments to evaluate site-specific adaptation options downtown and create conceptual designs for a pilot adaptation project.
- Bath: “Riverwalk and Waterfront Access Planning Project.” The city will hire a consulting team to create a final design and action plan for the riverwalk. The consulting team will also provide nature-based designs for shoreline stability and flood adaptation while improving public access and neighborhood connectivity near the river.
- Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission (SMPDC): “Strengthening Coastal Climate Readiness in Southern Maine: Tools, Training, and Regional Capacity Building.” SMPDC will update and conduct community trainings for two climate resilience tools, the Nature-Based Strategies Decision Support Tool and the Climate Ready Coast Vulnerability Assessment Mapping Tool.
- South Portland: “Stormwater Modeling in Downtown South Portland.” The city will hire a consultant for a modeling study to understand stormwater movement in the Mill Creek watershed. The study will help identify flood mitigation strategies and stormwater system improvements the city can implement to reduce flooding and improve the quality of the watershed.
- Southwest Harbor: “Harbor Management Plan Update.” The town will hire a consultant to update the harbor management plan and integrate climate considerations and other recent local planning efforts. The updated plan will guide investment and management of harbors and public waterfront infrastructure in Southwest Harbor.
- Yarmouth: “Yarmouth Working Waterfront Master Plan.” Yarmouth will create a master plan to understand vulnerabilities and opportunities at working waterfronts, while accounting for future climate adaptation needs. The plan will guide investment, policy decisions, and infrastructure improvements at the working waterfront.
For insights and case studies on CCG projects, visit MPAP’s CCG Case Studies webpage. For inquiries about the CCG program, contact Joan A. Walton, AICP, at joan.walton@maine.gov or (207) 419-8661.
Shore and Harbor Planning Grants
The Shore and Harbor Planning Grants program has been operating since 2010 and has distributed over $2.5 million to coastal communities.
Within the Shore and Harbor Planning Grant program, MCP has awarded $355,915 to the following municipalities:
- Bowdoinham: “Bowdoinham Waterfront Access & Resilience Planning.” Bowdoinham will hire a consultant to create a master plan to improve shore fishing and hand-carry boating access. The plan will include resilience improvements, conceptual designs, and cost estimates.
- Brooksville: “Design and Engineering for New Pier and Floats at Betsy’s Cove.” The town will hire an engineer to create construction-ready designs for a new pier and float at the public landing.
- Chebeague Island & Yarmouth: “Resiliency Assessment and Conceptual Design, Cousins Island Wharf and Blanchard Lot.” The towns will hire a consultant to assess vulnerabilities and create conceptual designs and cost estimates for work to improve the resilience of the parking lot and wharf for the Chebeague Island Ferry.
- Columbia Falls: “Town Landing Design and Engineering.” The town will hire a consultant to create a master plan for improvements to the town landing; these plans will include resilience adaptations and alterations to improve public use of the facility.
- Friendship: “Final Design for Resilient Reconstruction of the Friendship Municipal Wharf.” Friendship will hire an engineering firm to create final designs for the reconstruction of the municipal wharf.
- Monhegan Plantation: “Monhegan Island Breakwater Resiliency Improvements.” Monhegan Plantation will hire a consultant to create permit-ready engineering designs and cost estimates for work to increase the resilience of the breakwater.
- North Haven: “Engineering and Design of a Climate Resilient Working Waterfront and Fishermen's Wharf in Pulpit Harbor.” North Haven will hire an engineering firm to create engineering designs for a new fishermen’s wharf to reduce congestion at the existing public landing and improve water access.
The next round of funding is anticipated in summer 2026.
To explore past projects, visit the MCP Shore and Harbor Planning Grant webpage. For inquiries about the Shore and Harbor Planning Grant program, contact Melissa Britsch at melissa.britsch@maine.gov or (207) 215-6171.