AUGUSTA – The Moosehead Lake area could absorb the 2,000-plus houses and resort accommodations proposed by Plum Creek through a combination of careful planning, strong oversight and large-scale land conservation, state regulators were told Tuesday.

After three years of heated public debate on the matter, the fate of Plum Creek’s historic development proposal for the Moosehead region is finally in the hands of state regulators. Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission took another slow, steady step toward a potential vote on the proposal later this year when it held the first of two days of deliberative sessions on the massive rezoning application on Tuesday.

LURC staff and consultants did most of the talking as they laid out their rationale for a long list of recommended changes they argue would allow much-needed economic growth while protecting the natural character of the region.

Arguably the most important moment Tuesday came when the staff and consultants explained why they were not recommending a reduction in the total number of lots that would be developed.

Plum Creek is seeking LURC authorization for 975 house lots and 1,050 accommodations in two resorts, one located on Big Moose Mountain and the other at Lily Bay. One resort accommodation could be anything from a hotel room to a single-family house located on resort grounds.

Evan Richert, a former director of the State Planning Office working as a LURC consultant, said the development will undoubtedly change aspects of the region. New subdivisions will diminish scenic views in some areas and traffic will increase in key communities, he said. Richert also predicted that outdoor recreation may shift to other areas in the region as some spots get developed.

But he said the 400,000-plus acres of conservation proposed as part of the plan, when combined with strict LURC oversight of the development, should help mitigate the impacts from 2,025 development “units,” he told the commission.

“We could not find evidence that the cumulative impact of the proposed units would exceed the carrying capacity of this region as a whole,” Richert said. “We think there will be some shifts … but that is why we think the conservation [package] is so important to absorbing those shifts.”

Plum Creek officials and the plan supporters insist the conservation component will help ensure the region retains the natural beauty that has made Moosehead a tourist destination for well over a century.

Plum Creek has offered to donate conservation easements on 91,000 acres of forestland in the region to offset the impacts of development, as required under LURC rules.

But the company also has put forward a series of conservation deals – contingent on LURC approval of a development plan – that would permanently protect another 340,000 acres. Those deals, which were negotiated with nonprofit conservation groups, would generate $35 million for the company.

At least two of the seven commissioners – Bart Harvey and Ed Laverty – indicated they could support allowing that amount of development as long as the conservation deals went through. LURC staff have recommended requiring Plum Creek to complete most of the conservation package before the agency processes any development applications.

“It’s an essential piece of the whole package,” said Harvey, a Greenville native who now lives in Millinocket. “If we are going to say 2,000 units are okay, that’s a lot to swallow. So there has to be something on the other side of the equation.”

The other commissioners present either did not speak on the issue or were noncommittal.

Critics of Plum Creek’s plan say the proposal is a bad trade-off for the state.

Cathy Johnson, North Woods project director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said she believes LURC staff and some commissioners are willing to “sacrifice” the beauty of Lily Bay and similar areas in order to protect other lands.

“It’s really horse trading that we’ll put up with all of these numbers [of units] if we get this conservation,” Johnson said after the meeting. NRCM and Maine Audubon are partner organizations in the regulatory review.

Wendy Weiger of the citizens group Moosehead Region Futures Committee said she was disappointed the commissioners did not spend more time discussing whether this amount of development was needed in the region.

The commissioners will resume their discussions today at 8:30 a.m. Among other topics, the group will take up Plum Creek’s proposal for a resort and large subdivision on Lily Bay, which has consistently generated the most opposition.

The deliberative sessions, which are open to the public, are being held at the St. Paul Center located at 136 State St. in Augusta. The sessions are also being broadcast live online at www.maine.gov/doc/lurc.

kmiller@bangordailynews.net

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