A coalition plans to be ready when the final rules are released.
AUBURN – Fifteen western Maine communities are trying to stay ahead of Pine Tree Zone rules, Auburn councilors learned Monday.
A coalition of Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford County communities plan to be ready when state officials release the final rules for establishing Pine Tree Zones, the lynch-pin of Governor John Baldacci’s economic plan.
“We understand that it is going to be rolled out as soon as possible,” said Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments Executive Director Bob Thompson. “We understand the first of January is the target date for it to go online.”
Thompson and Auburn Economic Development Director Roland Miller updated the Auburn City Council on the progress for creating the economic development zones and how the city could benefit.
The zones are part of Baldacci’s plan to spur economic development in Maine by offering state tax incentives. A number of zones will be set up around the state, including one in western Maine called the Androscoggin Valley Region Pine Tree Zone.
Each zone can have 20 sub-zones spread around the region. Those sub-zones must add up to less than 5,000 acres.
Thompson said representatives from 15 cities in the Androscoggin Valley zone have been meeting this summer to select the sub-zones. So far, they’ve identified 20 sites, including two in Auburn, three in Lewiston, two in Greene and two in Lisbon. The group has also identified four sub-zones in the Oxford Hills region, four in the Mexico-Rumford area and three in Franklin County.
Miller said the group expects the final rules for creating the economic zones to be released within the next couple of months. Once that happens, regions will have to scramble to set up their sub-zones and have them approved by the state.
“All of the work we’ve done so far, we didn’t want to wait until the final rules were decided to engage this process,” Miller said. “We worked right along to ensure we are ready when the state is.”
staylor@sunjournal.com
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