Former Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau is joining the governor’s planning office to help with housing development, land use and other economic projects.

As a lawmaker, the Biddeford Democrat sponsored the largest affordable housing investment in state history and a bill designed to expand affordable housing.

Gov. Janet Mills has hired him as a senior advisor for community development and strategic initiatives in her Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, her office announced Tuesday.

“Housing and workforce are significant issues facing Maine communities,” said Hannah Pingree, director of the policy office who is also a former Democratic House speaker. “They are central to ensuring the security and prosperity of Maine people and their families and support Maine’s long-term economic growth and vibrancy.”

Fecteau served eight years in the Maine House and is a 2014 graduate of The Catholic University of America.