Staff Writer
The Maine Forest Council has scheduled a meeting on a state comprehensive land use plan revision at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, April 4, at the former Stockholm Elementary School in Stockholm. Forest council officials will offer a presentation on how the revision by the state Land Use Regulation Commission could affect property in the unorganized territories.
The Maine Forest Council claims the new plan is a blueprint for a national park in Aroostook County and would extinguish development rights without compensation, according to the council’s Web site.
The council also said that the public should be concerned about the direction of the new comprehensive plan. The new plan is not consistent with LURC law and that it’s biased against motorized vehicles, according to council officials.
In addition, the new plan would “punish” tourism efforts by focusing too heavily on primitive pursuits and non-intensive uses.
According to the LURC Web site, the plan provides information about the jurisdiction, evaluates land use and other trends and establishes policies to guide the commission’s work. The first plan was adopted in 1976 and was revised in 1983 and 1997.
LURC is scheduling public workshops around the state this spring on the new plan, with a session planned for Monday, April 28, at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center. Public hearings also will be scheduled later this year.
