South Portland Builds Confidence in Comprehensive Plan Adoption Through Transparent Digital Engagement

Introduction

When South Portland, Maine updated its Comprehensive Plan—a once-in-a-decade effort spanning several years—it faced a familiar challenge: how to meaningfully engage residents with a complex, 300-page planning document and ensure the community had an opportunity to review and comment before adoption. After years of community outreach led by a consulting team, City staff turned to Konveio during the final phase of the process to provide a more accessible and transparent way for residents to engage directly with the draft plan. The result was broader participation, more informed feedback, and increased confidence among decision-makers that the final plan reflected community input. 

Problem

The update of the City's Comprehensive Plan, South Portland 2040, began around 2020–2021 with the formation of a planning committee and a review of the previous plan. Over the following three years, the City and its consultant team conducted extensive public engagement through a combination of in-person meetings, community workshops, online surveys, mapping exercises, and committee discussions. 

As the project approached completion, the City faced a new challenge. Unlike earlier engagement activities, this phase required residents to review and comment on a draft Comprehensive Plan exceeding 300 pages. Traditional engagement methods were not well suited for the task.

"We now had a draft of a 300-page document and were struggling to figure out how to convey the information presented in a way that would solicit comments."

The City needed a solution that would:

• Make a lengthy planning document accessible and easy to navigate 
• Enable residents to comment directly on specific sections of the plan 
• Expand participation beyond those who typically attend public meetings 
• Demonstrate to the Planning Committee and elected officials that the community had meaningful access to the document before adoption 

Solution

The City selected Konveio to host the online public review process for the draft Comprehensive Plan. Rather than asking residents to download and review a large PDF independently, Konveio transformed the document into an interactive online experience where users could read, navigate, and comment directly within the plan. 

Impact

Increased Community Participation Beyond Traditional Audiences

One of the most significant outcomes was the City's ability to reach residents who had never participated in previous engagement efforts. Staff were surprised not only by the number of new participants, but also by the quality and depth of the feedback they received. Residents who may never have attended an evening meeting were able to engage with the plan on their own time and provide detailed comments. 

"What made my day was seeing the number of names I'd never seen before—people who had never come to an engagement event or public meeting—who spent a lot of time with the document and gave thoughtful, paragraph-long responses."

For the Planning Committee, one of the most valuable aspects of Konveio was the ability to measure participation.

The platform's analytics allowed staff to demonstrate:

• How many unique users accessed the plan 
• How many residents reviewed at least one page 
• How many users submitted comments 

These metrics provided evidence that the City had successfully broadened engagement beyond the small group of residents who typically attend public meetings.

The distinction between total comments and unique participants proved especially valuable, helping decision-makers understand the breadth of community involvement rather than focusing solely on the volume of feedback. 

Supported Adoption of the Comprehensive Plan

The Comprehensive Plan has now been formally adopted, and staff credit Konveio with helping ensure a transparent and inclusive final review process. By making the draft plan accessible online and enabling detailed, section-specific feedback, the City was able to demonstrate that residents had meaningful opportunities to participate before adoption.

"I can't imagine another way we could have done it. The platform worked great for our needs and gave our committee confidence that the community had the opportunity to review and comment on the plan."