Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) Staff Recommendations for Changes to Plum Creek Proposal

Highlights of Maine Audubon Analysis, May 2008

Two major threats to wildlife ignored:

• The number of subdivision lots and resort units is unchanged, remaining the equivalent of two to three towns in the Moosehead region.
• Although acreage is decreased, the amount of development allowed on Lily Bay is unchanged.

 

Additional problems unchanged:

• Number of luxury houses plus resort accommodations remains unchanged at more than 2,000.
• Number of employee and affordable housing units remains unlimited.
• Number of luxury houses and resort accommodations proposed at Lily Bay remains unchanged at 404.
• Number of luxury houses and resort accommodations at Moose Mountain remains unchanged at 800.
• Development on the ridgeline of Lily Bay Mountain still allowed.
• Development on Indian Pond still allowed.

• Golf course still allowed at Lily Bay.

• The forest management plan lacks clear objectives wildlife habitat and other forms of biodiversity, fails to address many species and habitats of concern, and includes practices that are contrary to broadly accepted recommendations.

“Backwards steps” created:

• In many zones, more development can occur after 30 years. For example, although each were previously slated for conservation, the Rockwood area now must retain 50 percent of its land for future development, and Brassua must retain 25 percent.
• Resort development now is proposed at Moose Bay. It is a new, third resort zone.
• A resort still is allowed at Lily Bay, but not required. That creates the option of developing a giant subdivision of 404 house lots.
• Commercial development now is allowed in most residential zones.

Improvements made:

• No development will be allowed on the north shore of Long Pond. This is a big and positive change.
• A number of wetlands, wildlife habitat areas, and one important view shed have been removed from development zones or buffered.
• Development acreage at Lily Bay is decreased. (Note, however, that the amount of housing units has not decreased.)
• Back lot vegetation-clearing standards are proposed.
• One-fifth of the lots at Moose Mountain must be within a resort, rather than subdivided lots.
• Many development zones now require long-term development plans.
• Recommendations eliminate “beach, shore, and water-access structures,” and apply existing definitions.
• Existing noise standards are reinstated.
• Existing LURC layout and design standards for subdivisions are reinstated.
• The Roach Pond acquisition would be permanently available for public, primitive recreation use.
• The Roach Pond purchase and Legacy Easement must happen with 45 days of approval of the plan.
• Improved easement language:

- Bans rock mining.
- Restructures the easement’s Management Advisory Team (MAT) to make Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife responsible for its operations and functions and remove Plum Creek (and all subsequent landowners) from its membership.
- Clarifies the MAT’s authority and requires its documents to be public.
- Requires baseline documentation of areas needing special management protections and prevents the use of the baseline as a shield against protecting subsequently discovered habitat.
- Certification is no longer an unchanged conclusion that the landowner is in compliance with forestry principles.
- Allows easement holder to remove certification programs it judges do not adequately evaluate the easement's conformance.

Structural changes to the plan:

• The residential and resort zones have been completely redrafted, and different lists of uses allowed.

This list does not include all of the changes contained in the 127 page recommendation. To see the entire document, use these links.

Get the complete document (5.3 MB):

Text only (514 KB):

Questions? E-mail advocacy@maineaudubon.org or call (207) 781-2330, ext. 222. Please keep visiting our Web site for updates.