Plum Creek plan revisions delayed until early spring

Plum Creek probably will not complete revisions to the company’s Moosehead Lake development plans until later this month or April, the company announced Thursday.

Plum Creek said earlier this year that the company hoped to complete the revisions – the third major overhaul of its Moosehead proposal – by the end of February.

In a statement released Thursday, the company said it needs more time to complete details and prepare new maps for submission to the Land Use Regulation Commission.

“The revisions are intended to meet as many interests as possible, including Plum Creek’s,” the statement read. “While the revised plan cannot address all interests and requests, the company hopes these revisions will move the plan closer to the needs of some opponents and continue to meet conservation, economic development and public access objectives.”

Plum Creek officials already have said they plan to reduce shorefront development by 30 percent to 40 percent under the new plan and will eliminate altogether development on some sensitive or popular recreational spots, such as Prong Pond and Big W.

The company also is discussing increasing the amount of conservation land donated by the company but likely will seek to increase the size of a planned resort on Moose Mountain near Greenville.

The number of house lots proposed for the plan is likely to remain steady at 975, company officials have said. The plan also still includes more than 400,000 acres of permanent conservation land.

LURC officials had hoped to begin holding public hearings on Plum Creek’s plan beginning in May or June but were forced to reschedule when the company announced it was making more changes.

Plum Creek’s plan is the largest development petition ever considered in Maine but, as proposed, also contains one of the largest land conservation efforts in both state and U.S. history.