When the Land Use Regulation Commission begins its formal review Tuesday of Plum Creek Timber Co.’s plans for development around Moosehead Lake, it will have the benefit of a set of recommendations from its staff that call for changes to the plan to protect more land and to protect the qualities that bring visitors and residents to the area.

In a long list of recommendations released Tuesday, the LURC staff and its consultants called for dozens of specific changes, such as restrictions on building heights to make them less visible to stronger protections for wildlife habitats to limits on the number of docks on several lakes and ponds in the development area. As the commission starts its deliberations, such recommendations could help it decide whether the Plum Creek proposal, with necessary changes, fits with the character and needs of the Moosehead Region.

The staff recommendations don’t, however, address the much larger issue before LURC: Is the proposed development appropriate for the region? Is it in the right places? Is it appropriately offset by conservation, as required by LURC standards?

Also yet to be addressed is whether there is a demonstrated need for the development and that it will have no adverse impacts on existing uses and resources. Answering yes to the first and no to the second is required for LURC to approve the project. Conservation must also compensate for development.

More than three years ago, Plum Creek applied to LURC to rezone more than 20,000 acres near Moosehead Lake to make way for two resorts and 975 house lots, spread from near Jackman to Kokadjo. Later, the company signed a private agreement with the Nature Conservancy, Forest Society of Maine and Appalachian Mountain Club to preserve more than 300,000 acres near the proposed development.

The company asked for the rezoning as a lake concept plan, which allows it to develop faster than under other LURC rules, but requires compensatory conservation.

Plum Creek has revised the plan several times, but the number of house lots has remained the same, the scope of the resort development has remained vague and the development remains sprawling. On the positive side, a resort was moved from a more remote area to near an existing downhill ski area and nearly half the development proposed for remote ponds and shoreland areas was moved.

Now, LURC staff has suggested more changes. These include shrinking the acreage – but not the number of houses or accommodations – at the proposed resort on Lily Bay on the east side of Moosehead Lake and cutting the number of house lots in half on Long Pond, east of Jackman.

Other recommendations include restrictions on development along Routes 15 and 6, the major roads in the area, and limiting boat launches and docks on several lakes and ponds.

While these changes would likely improve the project, the larger question of the appropriateness of the proposed development must be answered first.