Bill pitches scrapping LURC
A bill filed by a representative in Piscataquis County seeks to abolish the state's Land Use Regulation Commission and give control of Maine's unorganized territories to county governments.
Rep. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, said the high cost of hearings related to developer Plum Creek's project in the Moosehead region prompted him to introduce the bill, pegging that cost at $25 million, according to Capitol News Service. He told the news service that elected county officials are better-suited to guiding development in unorganized territories, and that oversight at the county level would cost less. To fund that work, Davis proposed using county registry of deeds revenues, 90% of which are currently sent to MaineHousing. Robert Howe, executive director of the Maine County Commissioners Association, said the group had not yet discussed the idea nor taken a position on it.
LURC was formed 40 years ago to govern development in Maine's 10 million acres of unorganized territories, and has approved nearly $1 billion in commercial and residential development in the past four years. A public hearing on the bill has not been scheduled.
Go to the article from Capitol News Service >>
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