Brunswick plan reduces growth area, pauses housing outside growth zone
Brunswick officials released a draft comprehensive plan titled One Brunswick, Beautifully Balanced that reduces the town's designated growth area and discourages development in rural neighborhoods, and the council has enacted a temporary pause on new housing outside the growth zone. The changes will shape where higher density and infrastructure investment occur, with implications for neighborhood character, housing supply, and future zoning rules.
Brunswick town leaders moved this week to place a new comprehensive plan before the public that will guide land use and growth for the next decade. The draft titled One Brunswick, Beautifully Balanced narrows the town's designated growth area, sets aside zones for limited growth and rural protection, and frames policies for protecting natural resources, investing in infrastructure and maintaining town character. Last month the council approved a 180 day emergency measure to temporarily pause new housing developments outside the growth zone while the plan is finalized.
The plan serves multiple roles. It expresses a community vision, provides an action plan for implementation and forms the legal basis for future zoning, subdivision and land use codes. It also offers policy guidance for municipal services, infrastructure and capital investments. Planning staff led the update with assistance from consultant Haley Ward after a process that began in 2019 and was delayed by the COVID 19 pandemic. The update included public workshops, community forums, surveys and stakeholder consultations overseen by the Comprehensive Plan Update Steering Committee.
Key changes in the draft include a reduced growth area aimed at protecting neighborhood character while concentrating higher density where services and transit exist. The draft identifies placetypes and emphasizes climate resilience, sustainability and compact development where appropriate. The Planning Department has framed the plan and the accompanying land use map as guidance rather than prescriptive law, with the intent that the document will inform a zoning ordinance update anticipated in fall 2026.
The public process moves quickly from here. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2025, and Planning Department leaders expect robust comment, particularly around the smaller growth area and the consequences for housing availability. The draft is available for review at planbrunswick.org and at Town Hall.
For residents and developers the immediate impact is uncertainty for projects located outside the proposed growth area because of the council pause. Over the longer term the plan steers investment toward serviced corridors and seeks to reduce development pressure on rural neighborhoods, raising questions about how Brunswick will balance housing demand, affordability and preservation of local character as it updates zoning to reflect the new map.
