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September 24, 2009

Plum Creek wins regulators' approval

State regulators yesterday gave unanimous approval to Plum Creek Timber Co.'s resort and residential development in the Moosehead Lake region, the state's largest development in history.

The Land Use Regulation Commission approved the Seattle-based company's plan for more than 2,000 housing units, two resorts and nearly 400,000 acres of conserved land, according to a press release from the company. The final plan includes up to 821 residential units, a 1,852-acre, 404-unit resort at Lily Bay, a 4,200-acre, 800-unit resort at Big Moose Mountain and a 363,000-acre conservation easement, the second largest in U.S. history. The plan also includes the sale of 29,000 acres to The Appalachian Mountain Club for $11 million, according to the release.

The approval comes more than four years after Plum Creek first proposed the hotly-contested project. Bangor police arrested six protesters who disrupted yesterday's meeting, and two organizations -- the Forest Ecology Network and RESTORE: The North Woods -- announced plans to appeal the decision to the Maine Judicial Superior Court, according to the Bangor Daily News. While the vote ends a major regulatory process, Plum Creek must still receive individual subdivision and resort permits from LURC before construction can begin. LURC staff earlier this month recommended approval of the project.

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