PCSR INFO 6-14-2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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N I \X' S \ N D DIP A RIM I N r S 44 Planning June 2005 around Moosehead Lake, the state's largest water body. Plum Creek would grant permanent ease- ments that protect 55 miles of hiking trails and 71 miles of snowmobile routes. A 30-year plan bans development from 180 miles of environmentally sensitive shoreline and around 55 pristine ponds. The vast majority of the 426,340-acre land area would remain a work- ing forest for timber harvesting. Plum Creek general manager Jim Lehner says that there is a lot of support for the plan, but that support is not universal. Among those ques- tioning the Plum Creek proposal is the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which says "this scale of development could change the charac- ter of the Moosehead region forever." true wilderness, though-it's primarily a working forest where paper companies and other major landowners have long supported a tradition of public access for recreation. That's changing now. Cash-strapped pa- per companies have been selling their hold- ings to institutional investors. Meanwhile, New England's hot housing market has sparked a vacation home boom around remote lakes. These and other factors are putting new pres- sure on planners to balance 21st century de- velopment with 19th century traditions. Plum Creek's proposal will test the resources of LURC, which has a 22-person staff with four professional planners. They handle just 1,200 permits in a typical year. Carroll says she's not sure how long the agency's review of the plan will take. But more than time, the LURC staff will be feeling the weight of his- tory. The process will be watched closely by other landowners, and the outcome may shape land use in the North Woods for generations. Tux Turkel pany had in mind for 426,340 acres of the North Woods. Carroll directs Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission, which oversees planning and zoning for the 10.5-million-acre area, made up of sparsely populated towns and unorganized territories. She knew immedi- ately that this plan, which was officially filed in early April, would be the largest one consid- ered by the agency in its 34-year history. Done right, this plan could serve as a model for how other major landowners might bal- ance development, conservation, and public benefits in this legendary part of the state. "I think this will be precedent-setting," Carroll .says. "The stakes are high here." What's at stake Plum Creek, a Seattle~based timber, land man- agement, and real estate company, is propos- ing a master plan that would include 975 houses, four sporting camps, and two resorts spread across 10,000 acres. The plan centers Maine is 90 percent forest, and the state's North Woods is the largest contiguous stretch of undeveloped land in the Northeast. Turkel is a reporter for the Portland Press Herald. Changing a way of life The plan's scope is matched only by its poten- tial impact on the identity of the N orth Woods. Maine is 90 percent forest, and the state's N orth Woods is the largest contiguous stretch of undeveloped land in the Northeast. It isn't other floors, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled in March. The case is Patton v. City of Gal ax. When Ralph Patton bought a building on South Main Street in Galax in 1967, the city had no zoning ordinance. At that time, the building's second floor was used for apart- ments. The first floor housed a drugstore, a woodworking shop, and a beauty shop, al- though parts of that floor had previously been used for rental apartments. The city's zoning ordinance placed the property in the Business General (B-2) dis- trict, which requires a conditional use permit for apartments. The ordinance also forbids first-floor apartments in any structure that fronts designated streets. In 1997, Patton began converting the ground floor to apartments. In 2001, the city ordered him to stop, and sued for an injunction against II' P\lImCretkT~ II Nrtw Pkrm~ AoQuidion II PriVrl1IJ and Salt land ill. ConlMIfvation ~~.~-OOUllfly$tliingT" (4S~onPkntlcr.kbnC:l1 _ ~~ti~TnlliOflPit.imClMkIaN3t t'.,Smi!etj :::::::::==:=ExiotinOIT~T~ _~Tm .