📰BIDDEFORD | Mayor moves to limit UNE Development

📰BIDDEFORD | Mayor moves to limit UNE Development

January 15, 2026, According to reports and a memo sent to city council, newely elected Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain is proposing a "temporary moratorium" on development projects at the University of New England.

Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain

Reports also indicate that LaFountain is looking to nominate the University’s president (James Hebert) to serve on the City’s newly established ad hoc Institutional Zone Review committee.

In his memo to the city council, LaFountain said his proposed moratorium will accomplish the following:

- Orderly Review: It allows the Institutional Zone Review Committee, City staff, the Planning Board, and the City Council to complete their work without the pressure of pending applications advancing under rules that may soon change.

- Consistency and Fairness: It avoids applying one set of standards to some projects while others are reviewed under a revised framework, promoting predictability for applicants and the public alike.

- Public Confidence: It acknowledges heightened public interest in institutional development and demonstrates that the city is taking a deliberate, transparent approach to updating its zoning ordinances and policies.

- Long-Term Planning: It ensures that decisions with lasting impacts on neighborhoods, infrastructure, and municipal capacity are informed by a comprehensive policy review rather than piecemeal approvals.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW COMMITTEE PLEASE SEE BELOW:

The newly formed Institutional Zone Review committee was formed for the purpose of reviewing all Institutional Zone provisions of the Biddeford Zoning Ordinance, including but not limited to the Institutional Zone and the Institutional Master Plan ordinance, together with all related standards, procedures, and review criteria.

The Committee is charged with the following responsibilities:

• Reviewing the full ordinance language governing the Institutional Zone and the Institutional Master Plan.

• Evaluating whether existing standards and processes appropriately guide institutional development and fully account for impacts on the City, including land use considerations, municipal service demands, infrastructure capacity, and long-range implications for planning and overall fiscal health.

• Considering best practices from comparable municipalities regarding institutional growth, neighborhood compatibility, and the broader implications of institutional expansion.

• Identifying proposed ordinance revisions necessary to ensure these provisions reflect the long-term best interests of the City.

• Preparing written recommendations for City Council consideration.

The Committee will include four resident members, one of which will be designated by the Mayor to serve as an Associate Member who will vote only in the absence of another resident member. To learn more about the committee please visit: https://www.biddefordmaine.org/5839/Institutional-Zone-Review-Committee