State
Moosehead plan gets OK
Plum Creek Timber Co.'s proposal was approved nearly five years after the Seattle-based company announced plans to build two resorts and more than 2,000 housing units near Moosehead Lake.
Critics said the development will bring traffic and congestion and threaten the character of the North Woods, a region made famous by writer Henry David Thoreau. Supporters said it will give an economic boost to the region and result in hundreds of thousands of acres of forest lands being preserved.
Even with the state Land Use Regulation Commission's approval, it could be years before construction begins. Plum Creek would need to win permits for construction, and opponents said they intend to file a lawsuit to stop the development.
James Kraft, an attorney for Plum Creek, said the company went through an exhaustive process to win final state approval, making several changes and downsizing the plans over the years.
"It may not be the perfect plan, but everybody up there agreed it was a good plan," Kraft said.
Plum Creek first announced in 2004 that it planned to subdivide its holdings in the Moosehead region and build a development that would include nearly 1,000 house lots, two resorts, three recreational-vehicle parks, a golf course and a marina.
To gain approval, Plum Creek petitioned the land-use commission to rezone nearly 400,000 acres of land. Plum Creek officials say development will be limited to an area spread out over 16,900 acres, with the company donating or selling conservation easements on 363,000 acres where public access would be guaranteed and future residential development prohibited.
The final development now calls for 821 house lots as well as two resorts with more than 1,200 housing units - houses, hotel rooms or condominiums - at Big Moose Mountain and Lilly Bay.
From the start, opponents said the plan was inappropriate for what they say is the largest undeveloped tract east of the Mississippi River. Thoreau wrote about the area 150 years ago after traveling the waterways and forests that shaped many of his ideas about nature.
Opponents also claimed the regulatory process was flawed, with the commission taking on an advocacy role for Plum Creek.
Two Maine-based conservation groups, the Forest Ecology Network and RESTORE: The North Woods, said Wednesday they intend to file a lawsuit in state court seeking to overturn the commission's decision.
Jonathan Carter, executive director of the Forest Ecology Network, said the commission "switched sides" as it considered the Plum Creek application.
"Rather than being an advocate for the unorganized townships, it became the architect and advocate for Plum Creek development," Carter said.
But other conservation groups said the plan creates conservation easements that will prevent future haphazard development over hundreds of thousands of acres. The plan also preserves public access, guarantees selective tree cutting to preserve the area's forest, and provides ecological protections, said Alan Hutchinson, executive director of the Forest Society of Maine, a Bangor-based land trust.
"This concept plan puts all those guarantees in place that you wouldn't have otherwise," Hutchinson said.
Prior to the vote, police arrested several protesters who disrupted the meeting, yelled at board members and accused them of selling out.
The protesters were identified as members of the Native Forest Network, a grass-roots organization that has been vocal in its opposition to the development.
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It's not about allowing them
It's not about allowing them to do what they want with their land, it's about zoning!! They bought this land knowing full well how it was zoned. The LURC is not technically allowing them to do anything, they are rezoning hundreds of thousands of acres. What a terrible thing to happen. I'm a native mainer, been here all my life, and am very upset. There goes Greenville and the North Woods. Yuppie paradise here it comes. The only good thing is it's gonna bring a few more liberals to the area.. liberal votes..
How many of these griping
How many of these griping people are native Mainers ????
verified Most, if not all. I am for
Most, if not all. I am for one, you?
How many of these griping
How many of these griping people are native Mainers ????
verified I grew up just "down the
I grew up just "down the road" from this area. I now live on the west coast (Washington State) and my company has had dealings with Plum Creek. If this is allowed in Maine, you will regret it! Here in Washington state, it is nothing for a company to clear cut thousands of acres! it looks horrible and devastates wildlife. Please, do not allow this to happen to Maine!
verified Look folks, like it or not,
Look folks, like it or not, THEY own the land. I'd like any of you who own any amount of land whatsoever to let someone else come in and tell you what you can or cannot do with it. The blunt fact is that Maine needs some outside funding. They are keeping the majority of it in the same condition that it is now. If you don't like it, you'd better put up some bucks and buy it back. The time to bitch and moan is over.
It's not public land. Plum
It's not public land. Plum Creek purchased it. Let Plum Creek make a return on their investment, or purchase the land from them.
That's right it's land owned
That's right it's land owned by a private party who legally conveyed it knowing that development was an appropriate use. Until this part of the World is under communist regime I go back to our Colonial rights to "own" real property in this country. If the land owners were in any way misleading the public than I vote for a hanging of their leadership, otherwise let them know your concerns and let them decide how to be neighborly!
verified I totally agree with Dave
I totally agree with Dave and think this will be a vast improvement for this part of the State.
Hell, if they have better
Hell, if they have better schools than LA I'll move there.
As AWS.org said, how bout worrying about what's going on in our backyard before getting bent about a development 200 miles away. It's like people in Rockland not wanting a casino in Oxford. Frankly if you don't live close enough to be impacted by it, STFU.
Its what the State
Its what the State politicians want... the entire state dependent on tourism and out of state'ers. Its a shame that this will ruin the Moosehead area, I'm glad our camp is way up in NE Carry.
....you people are intense.
....you people are intense. if you feel so strongly either way, dont just sit at your computer and write about it. Go do something. sheesh.
HEYS GUYS AND GIRLS....LOOK
HEYS GUYS AND GIRLS....LOOK TO YOUR OWN BACK YARD! Did you know that thousands of Acres around Lake Auburn owned by LAWPC, Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission are not protected by a conservation easement? In addition, in 1992 the City of Auburn discontinued the Whitman Spring Road WITHOUT retaining a public easement! They did this trusting the Auburn Water District to consider public use, BUT JUST A YEAR LATER....1993 LAWPC, a PRIVATE Quasi was formed putting all the lands and all the trails into a private holding, further removing it from the tax payers. To put insult to injury, LAWPC's number 5 directive is public recreation. You can write your city councilman, your mayor, and City manager and help PROTECT our back yard before you cry over lands 5 hours away....that would be like crying about land in Rhode Island:(
Money talks. We will all
Money talks. We will all live to regret this! This will not bring jobs to this area at least for Maine residents. It will also bring crime. Crime follows city slickers. The next thing that will happen is gambling cassinos. What a shame to loose all the trees and wild life in that area.
I say leave the land alone.
I say leave the land alone. Soon you'll have no open space left and you'll be fighting to keep a small lot as "green space." You know it won't be Mainers buying the homes and using the hotel. Then those who buy the homes will then petition for and get a ban on hunting, snowmobiling, etc, and get that passed. I guess the commission did not like the fact their state had the larges piece of undeveloped land east of the Mississippi and just needed to change it.
THIS WILL PROVE TO BE A HUGE
THIS WILL PROVE TO BE A HUGE MISTAKE>>>>> MONEY WINS AGAIN>>>> VERY SAD TO KNOW ALL THESE YUPPIES WILL BE FLYING INTO MOOSEHEAD ON THEIR PRIVATE PLANES. MOOSEHEAD WILL BE NO DIFFERENT THEN SEBAGO........
the company went through an
the company went through an exhaustive process to win final state approval Yeah HOW MUCH TO GREASE THE HANDS OF THE STATE BEAUCRATS AND POLITICANS??? A full investigation should be held to find out the corrupted officals and put them in jail and throw away the key!!!!! AND THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN WE NEED A SEPERATE ARM OF THE LAW TO INVESTIGATE ALL CORRUPTION WITH THE ABILITY TO WIRE TAP AND SNOOP WITHOUT COURT ORDER OR IF IT BE REQUIRED AND IF ANY PART OF THE JUDGES OFFICE TELLS OF THE ODER THEY GET 35 YEARS IN PRISION ENOUGH TO STOP THOSE BEING INVESTIGATED FROM KNOWING THEY ARE. AND ALL PROVEN QUILTY SHOULD RECIEVE NO LESS THAN 10 YEARS OOOOH YOU WOULD SEE A HELL OF A LOT LESS OF THIS CRAP GOING ON!!!!!
I too am tired of all "THE
I too am tired of all "THE STATE BEAUCRATS AND POLITICANS"
:)
fixit - your comments will
fixit - your comments will make more sense if you lay off of the amphetamines before posting. Yikes.
This will be the first
This will be the first planned community Maine has ever had. The first time streets will run east/west and north/south with all the fire and safety benefits. The first time public works will make sense, be efficient and be designed not bandaided together. Plumb Creek will provide decent housing and jobs, both desperately needed for 30 years. Take an honest look around not only is unemployment and the job market terrible in Maine living conditions are deplorable. In other states you would receive a citation for having properties in the condition most properties are in in Maine. For th person who said Maine resources should not be used neither he nor his employer should eeceive any business from this. There are a lot of foresters, truckers, saw mills, police, fire fighters, contractors, laborers, mechanics, teachers, people of all trades and professions who will be grateful for this planned community and these jobs. It is unfortunate that Manie is has been stuck in economic depression since the 30s and will sray there because of the attitudes of not here, no change and fear when those are the very things you need to be fearing most as they are killing Maine. Maine has become a third world country within a first world nation where people now have to split up their families or leave all together to get there kids an education, for medical car of chronic or serious illness and professional employment, so sad.
This will be the first
This will be the first planned community Maine has ever had. The first time streets will run east/west and north/south with all the fire and safety benefits. The first time public works will make sense, be efficient and be designed not bandaided together. Plumb Creek will provide decent housing and jobs, both desperately needed for 30 years. Take an honest look around not only is unemployment and the job market terrible in Maine living conditions are deplorable. In other states you would receive a citation for having properties in the condition most properties are in in Maine. For th person who said Maine resources should not be used neither he nor his employer should eeceive any business from this. There are a lot of foresters, truckers, saw mills, police, fire fighters, contractors, laborers, mechanics, teachers, people of all trades and professions who will be grateful for this planned community and these jobs. It is unfortunate that Manie is has been stuck in economic depression since the 30s and will sray there because of the attitudes of not here, no change and fear when those are the very things you need to be fearing most as they are killing Maine. Maine has become a third world country within a first world nation where people now have to split up their families or leave all together to get there kids an education, for medical car of chronic or serious illness and professional employment, so sad.
what a DAMM SHAME;;;;;
what a DAMM SHAME;;;;; whatch CN BROWN go up there and raise the price of gas then the Local people wont be able to afford it like in oxford!!!!!!!!!!
You know, there are more
You know, there are more trees in Maine now than there was 100 years ago.
verified I hope that if this
I hope that if this development takes place, local resources will be barred from servicing it. I don't want local firefighters in danger trying to put out a fire in the middle of the woods. If they built then let it burn. If they pollute, make them clean it up. If wildlife is harmed, force them to fix the problem. Make it as difficult as possible for them to follow through. This is truly a shame.
Tron, such a positive
Tron, such a positive person. Are you ever happy?
verified NO !!!! Leave the land the
NO !!!! Leave the land the way it is. We don't need a resort or any other establishments built in the Moosehead Region...Let it stay beautiful...
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