Maine ADU Guide
When the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) in Portland, Maine, won a grant from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development to build homeowner-facing technical assistance for ADU development, they connected with CPC to build a scalable, flexible online structure for their one-stop online ADU resource center. ADU development in Maine faces a unique set of financial and development incentives and a complex web of local rules, with hundreds of local municipalities that each have their own rules about ADU development, and we strategically planned and built a website for the project that met specific set of needs and experiences of Maine homeowners.
We started by interviewing key staff to better understand ADU development in Maine, then helping the GPCOG team decide on a name and visual identity for the project, settling on MaineADUGuide to allow for use and expansion of the site across the entire state. (Note: CPC did not design the logo for this project.)
We then moved into site mapping, wireframes, and visual mockups, confirming overall site structure and design direction before moving into site development. Structurally, the site is two parts: 1) a tutorial style “ADU Process” with user-friendly, step-by-step roadmaps of the phases of ADU development, and 2) a toolbox of resources, including a floorplans library, professionals directory, FAQs collection, and ADU glossary. We also coordinated with and embedded the FutureLot property search tool to help homeowners know what is possible on their property.
With a limited project budget, we adapted our usual website content process to provide the GPCOG team with extensive templates for web content, FAQs, and more, allowing the client to easily create web material appropriate to Maine and their communities. The CPC team then built the website entirely in-house with a custom design template. It was important that the GPCOG staff be able to maintain, expand, and edit the site, so we built the site with that in mind, including an easily expandable blog, FAQs system, professionals directory, and structure for homeowner case studies. GPCOG staff were fully trained on how to edit each part of the site and provided with video and written tutorials before handing off the site to the client.
The site effectively combines educational content, practical tools, real-world inspiration, and professional resources into a centralized digital environment in a way that feels inviting and interesting. The site’s multifunctional design makes it more than just a promotional platform since it also serves as a strategic public-policy resource aligned with both state and local housing initiatives.
