Changes LURC staff recommends for Plum Creek development

Following are some of the changes that staff with the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission have recommended for Plum Creek’s Moosehead Lake development plan:

. Cut in half the number of proposed house lots on Long Pond – from 110 to 55 – and re-designate 573 acres on the pond’s northeast and northwest shores as conservation land.

. Designate as conservation land nearly 3,000 acres of highlands that Plum Creek had included in a 4,358-acre development zone near Lily Bay. The total number of house lots and resort accommodations near Lily Bay would remain the same, however.

. Require that Plum Creek and its partners complete conservation deals on nearly 390,000 acres in the region before any of the company’s development plans can proceed. The sale of 45,000 acres around No. 5 Bog to The Nature Conservancy need not be complete for development elsewhere to proceed.

. Retain the sizes of “primitive” resorts on Lily Bay and Indian Pond but change the zoning type to ensure it meets LURC’s current requirements for commercial sporting camps and to prohibit future subdivision. Additionally, the staff recommends that the primitive resort at Lily Bay must not be visible from “areas with public values.”

. Restrict boat launches, docks and moorings on several lakes and ponds to common areas.

. Require Plum Creek to submit detailed new information on effects on wildlife and traffic projections in the Lily Bay area before the number of units in the area could exceed 284. Additionally, at least 135 units must be occupied before LURC considers plans to expand beyond the 284 units.

. Remove a small amount of acreage from the 4,446-acre Big Moose Mountain resort complex and add it to conservation land.

. Require developments in the Burnham Pond and Rockwood-Blue Ridge areas be designed to avoid obstructing travel corridors of wildlife.

. Set aside a portion of the excess developable lands in Rockwood and the Brassua Lake area for “future community needs.”

. Allow a range of development – including multifamily dwellings, affordable housing and small-scale commercial operations – in much of the development areas, rather than only single-family homes.

. Reject a Plum Creek proposal to allow developers to open “view corridors.”

. Reduce the maximum allowed height of nonresidential buildings from 100 feet to 60 feet.

. Incorporate color standards for roofs and building exteriors (to minimize visibility from afar) into the concept plan rather than leave those provisions up to subdivision covenants.