LURC to hold public hearing

    The Land Use Regulation Commission will hold three public hearings this week for its proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
    The public hearings will allow people to comment on the draft comprehensive plan, which determines how the region under the commission’s oversight is managed.     The seven commission members will consider the public comments from the hearings and the following comment period as they finalize the comprehensive plan. The plan then will be sent to the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry for review and to Gov. John E. Baldacci for review and approval.
    The local meeting will be held, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1-4:30 p.m. and 6-10 p.m., at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center, Presque Isle.
    Written comments on the proposed plan will be accepted until Wednesday, Oct. 21, with a rebuttal period scheduled through Wednesday, Oct. 28.
    The commission is expected to direct its staff to make changes in response to public comments received during the hearings.
    Established by the Maine Legislature in 1971, the Commission acts as the planning and zoning authority for more than 10 million acres of Maine that either does not have any municipal government or where the municipal government chooses not to provide those services. This includes large areas of northern, western and Downeast Maine, as well as many coastal islands. It is supported by a staff under the Maine Department of Conservation.
    Similar to documents used by all Maine municipalities, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan is used by the Commission as its primary policy and planning document. It was first adopted in 1976 and has undergone several revisions. The latest revision, which reflects development and other land use trends, began in 2005.