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Log inPanel's recommendations fail to satisfy Plum Creek foes
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Panel's recommendations fail to satisfy Plum Creek foes
by Outspoken on Thu May 22, 2008 4:23 am
Panel's recommendations fail to satisfy Plum Creek foes
BY ALAN CROWELL
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
AUGUSTA -- Better, but still too big and in the wrong places.
That was the reaction of Maine environmental groups Wednesday to Land Use Regulation Commission recommendations that would shrink the footprint of Plum Creek's Moosehead Lake development plan but allow roughly the same number of housing units.
"They are sort of nibbling away at what the development might look like, but they are not addressing the fundamental question of whether all this development belongs there," said Jody Jones, wildlife ecologist at Maine Audubon.
Plum Creek Timber Co. has proposed putting 975 house lots and two resorts in the heart of Maine's iconic Moosehead Lake area.
In return for zoning changes that would allow development of about 20,000 acres, Plum Creek would permanently conserve over 400,000 acres in the North Woods.
The largest land use plan ever proposed in Maine, the proposal would affect a region that is at the heart of Maine's brand -- the Moosehead Lake region has been a mecca for sportsmen and tourists for centuries.
Proponents say it would allow for controlled growth in an area that is desperately in need of an economic boost, while environmentalists and others argue it would forever change a place with special value for both people and animals.
Since the first version of Plum Creek's plan was submitted in 2005, the plan has been through three major revisions during a marathon review process that could end later this year.
Tuesday, the Land Use Regulation Commission, which serves as the planning board for the unorganized territories, released a series of proposed changes to the plan.
The commission's seven-member citizen board will consider those changes during deliberative sessions scheduled next week.
Catherine Carroll, director of LURC, said the commission staff is not recommending denial or approval of the plan.
The proposed changes include the removal of development from the north shore of Long Pond and a significant reduction in the footprint of development proposed at Lily Bay, said Carroll.
The recommendations also call for guarantees to ensure the 400,000 acres of land Plum Creek has pledged to conserve is managed in a way that protects ecologically sensitive habitat.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5081827.html
BY ALAN CROWELL
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
AUGUSTA -- Better, but still too big and in the wrong places.
That was the reaction of Maine environmental groups Wednesday to Land Use Regulation Commission recommendations that would shrink the footprint of Plum Creek's Moosehead Lake development plan but allow roughly the same number of housing units.
"They are sort of nibbling away at what the development might look like, but they are not addressing the fundamental question of whether all this development belongs there," said Jody Jones, wildlife ecologist at Maine Audubon.
Plum Creek Timber Co. has proposed putting 975 house lots and two resorts in the heart of Maine's iconic Moosehead Lake area.
In return for zoning changes that would allow development of about 20,000 acres, Plum Creek would permanently conserve over 400,000 acres in the North Woods.
The largest land use plan ever proposed in Maine, the proposal would affect a region that is at the heart of Maine's brand -- the Moosehead Lake region has been a mecca for sportsmen and tourists for centuries.
Proponents say it would allow for controlled growth in an area that is desperately in need of an economic boost, while environmentalists and others argue it would forever change a place with special value for both people and animals.
Since the first version of Plum Creek's plan was submitted in 2005, the plan has been through three major revisions during a marathon review process that could end later this year.
Tuesday, the Land Use Regulation Commission, which serves as the planning board for the unorganized territories, released a series of proposed changes to the plan.
The commission's seven-member citizen board will consider those changes during deliberative sessions scheduled next week.
Catherine Carroll, director of LURC, said the commission staff is not recommending denial or approval of the plan.
The proposed changes include the removal of development from the north shore of Long Pond and a significant reduction in the footprint of development proposed at Lily Bay, said Carroll.
The recommendations also call for guarantees to ensure the 400,000 acres of land Plum Creek has pledged to conserve is managed in a way that protects ecologically sensitive habitat.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5081827.html
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
