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BANGOR - Critics of a subdivision proposed for Beaver Cove continued their assault on the project Thursday, calling for more detailed studies into how the development could affect Moosehead Lake, its wildlife and the local tourism industry. The developer, Hermon resident Hank McPherson, countered that he believes the Land Use Regulation Commission has enough information to handle his rezoning request. LURC members and staff listened to roughly 11 hours of testimony Wednesday and Thursday on a request by McPherson's company, Burnt Jacket LLC, to rezone 246 acres of prime shorefront and terrain just north of Greenville. McPherson hopes to sell 30 lakefront and 40 hillside lots on the land but has plans for at least another 80 lots on the roughly 1,700 acres he owns near Beaver Cove. The commission will hold a third and final public hearing on the rezoning petition at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Greenville High School. Representatives of the intervening groups - the Natural Resources Council of Maine, RESTORE: The North Woods and the Moosehead Region Futures Committee - faulted Burnt Jacket for not presenting LURC with more information on the land, its wild inhabitants and the proposed subdivision. McPherson and his attorney, Timothy Pease, contend that details of the development will be considered during a later subdivision review stage. Jym St. Pierre, Maine director of RESTORE, urged the commission to reject the rezoning petition and to begin developing a comprehensive plan for the Moosehead region. Plum Creek Timber Co.'s proposal for nearly 1,000 houses and two resorts around Moosehead underscore the need for a new plan, St. Pierre and others said. "It's the wrong proposal for this area at this time," said St. Pierre, a former LURC staffer. Sandra Neily, coordinator for the Moosehead Region Futures Committee, said nature-based tourism and recreation are the economic engines of the area. By building dozens of houses on this pristine and well-loved stretch of the lake, Neily said, the developer was endangering the "Moosehead brand" of wilderness experience that draws thousands to the lake annually. "We're asking you to deny this application because of its adverse impact on the values that are essential to this region," Neily said. Other speakers questioned the development's impact on water quality, wetlands and wildlife, including the federally protected Canada lynx rumored to patrol the land. They suggested McPherson dramatically scale back his plans and relocate development closer to the town of Beaver Cove. During cross-examination, McPherson and Pease attempted to cast doubt on the witnesses' facts and figures as well as their assessments of the property. The men said the subdivision's location - landlocked between Greenville town limits and Beaver Cove - make it an ideal spot to develop. McPherson also has pledged to develop a homeowners covenant to ensure the houses and lots blend in with their natural surroundings and existing development. McPherson said afterward he was pleased with the hearing. "We presented in-depth plans for rezoning with the idea that the second phase is a subdivision [review]," he said. "The intervenors pointed out those hurdles that will have to be addressed during the subdivision phase." |