Plum Creek Timber Co. released the outlines of a major development plan for the Moosehead region Tuesday. It’s an ambitious plan that, if approved, would change the character of the area forever.
There are three big parts to the Plum Creek plan. It would establish a 30-year forest management program for more than 415,000 acres, create conservation easements around more than 50 pristine lakes and ponds while also dedicating land to snowmobile and hiking trails, and open up in the neighborhood of 14,000 acres for development, including new houses, two resorts, an industrial park and affordable housing in Greenville. The exact amount of land for development hasn’t been determined.
Along with the release of the development plan, the Seattle-based Plum Creek also announced that it will purchase 48,500 acres from Hancock Timber Resource Group, bringing its total land holdings in Maine to 953,000 acres.
The scale of the proposed development is unprecedented in Maine, and could include 800 to 1,200 new houses, two 3,000-acre resorts, 74.5 miles of snowmobile trails, 43 miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails, and the opportunity for the state to purchase a significant conservation tract.
Before moving forward with its plans, Plum Creek must get approval from the state’s Land Use Regulation Commission. According to company President and CEO Rick Holley, a plan will be submitted to LURC by the end of January. Review and approval would be a major undertaking for the agency.
There are things to like about the general outline of Plum Creek’s plan. It could bring much-needed economic activity to Greenville and the surrounding area, expanding the tax base and providing new jobs.
But until the actual details are filed with LURC, it’s impossible to judge the plan’s impact.
Questions remain about the exact location of proposed building, which ponds would be protected and whether the conservation and trail easements are as permanent as Plum Creek touts.
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