PARIS – The town’s comprehensive plan committee held its last public hearing on the proposed plan on Tuesday night. Approval of the plan, which was finalized on May 11, will be up to voters in a June 12 referendum.

Barbara Payne opened the hearing, saying she hoped the committee could dispel any rumors about the plan.

“There is no attempt to take your private property away from you,” she said.

The board stressed that the plan does not make law, but rather serves as a guide for municipal committees over the next 10 years.

Payne said that although the 163-page document looks daunting, the plan makes up only the first 46 pages, while the rest consists of an inventory and analysis that makes recommendations for the future.

She said the purpose of identifying the town’s historical buildings in the plan was “for information only,” as a way of letting people know if they have historical property. The plan encourages protection of the historic district on Paris Hill from “incompatible development or redevelopment” and recommends development of ordinances to regulate its land use and protect “potential archaeological resource locations” determined by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

According to John Maloney of the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, a comprehensive plan for Paris was adopted in 1976. Voters turned down a revision of the plan in 1993, and since then the town has been without a plan. The committee has been working on the new one since late 2005.

William Glover said people in 1993 were likely put off by the suggestion of “lower density development” in more rural areas that would require building lots with a minimum of three acres. He also said residents might have seen the plan as state intrusion into local politics.

Payne said that while state law does not require towns to have a comprehensive plan, the state will use a “carrot and stick” approach to deny grants to towns lacking a plan. She said the Paris Utility District recently lost a grant for that reason.

Maloney said the committee has identified growth areas “where the town would like to see the majority of new development,” including a corridor running up Route 26 to the border with West Paris. He said the plan does not designate specific development for specific areas.

“It’s important to say that the plan doesn’t have any restrictions,” he said.

Maloney said the plan does not bar development in areas other than certain resource protection zones, although it recommends that development proceed with more caution in certain areas.

Residents will vote on the plan at the town elections from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 12 at the Paris Fire Station.