In Aroostook County, there are 108 unorganized territories and 16 plantations.

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1 Community Guided Planning and Zoning Overview The Maine Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) oversees the planning and land use regulatory function for the unorganized and deorganized territories of Maine. Statewide, Unorganized territories include the 420 townships where no local government exists (e.g. select board, tax assessor, planning board, town manager, etc.). According to Title 12, Chapter 206-A. "Unorganized and deorganized areas" includes: All unorganized and deorganized townships; Plantations that have not received commission approval under section 685-A, subsection 4-A to implement their own land use controls; Municipalities that have organized since 1971 that have not received commission approval to implement their own land use controls; and All other areas of the State that are not part of a municipality except Indian reservations. In Aroostook County, there are 108 unorganized territories and 16 plantations. The following data and analysis is derived from LUPC permitting actions between September 1973 through December 31, 2013 for all permit actions (including rezonings), sorted by township, within Aroostook County. This data was obtained through the Geographic Oriented Action Tracker (GOAT), LUPC s database of permitting and compliance actions. Permit Types Land use regulations stipulate which land uses and development activities are: allowed without a permit; allowed without a permit subject to standards; allowed with a permit; and those not allowed. For those uses and activities which require permit approval, the LUPC reviews those proposals for conformance with applicable rules and issue a decision (e.g. a permit). The Commission issues permits for a wide range of activities, including: camp additions, reconstruction of permanent docks, and new garages to grid-scale wind energy facilities, restaurants, and maple sugaring operations. Given the range of activities allowed within the unorganized territories, the LUPC currently or formerly utilizes a variety of action types to identify and record various permitting actions. Permit Name Abbreviation Description Bridge Construction BCP Construction, replacement, or repair of bridges Permit Building Permit BP Permits for activities associated with residential development that requires a permit (e.g. activities involving: a camp, a garage, porches, etc.). Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 1

2 Permit Name Abbreviation Description Development Permit DP Permits for activities associated with non-residential development that requires a permit (e.g. activities involving: commercial sporting camps, retail store, warehouse, mill, wind turbines, campground, resort, etc.) Forest Operations Permit FOP Permits for forest operations that exceed the standards of Section 10.27,E of the Commission s Land Use Districts and Standards or are located within a Development Subdistrict or the Mountain Area Protection (P-MA) Subdistrict. Great Ponds Permit GP Permits for activities affecting great ponds (i.e. bodies of standing water greater than 10 acres in size). Activities permitted as a Great Ponds Permit include but are not limited to, permanent docks, dredging, some boat launches/ramps, breakwaters, and retaining walls. IFW Shoreland Alteration Permit IFW-SA Authorization by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife ( IF& W ) for shoreland alterations. Such letters of authorization were entered as an action in order to best record and store such authorizations within the LUPC s jurisdiction. Permit type no longer in use. Large Lot Division Plan LDP Plats submitted to the LUPC for certification as to whether or not they qualified as a then existing statutory subdivision exemption. Such statutory exemption, and therefore the use of this action type, was in effect between 1992 through No such LUPC certification exists or remains in use after Letter of Exemption LOE A letter from the LUPC staff confirming the proposed activity is exempt from one or more provisions of the Commission s rules and therefore does not require permit approval. Historically LOEs were issued only for utility lines that were exempt; however, as of 2011 they are used for any proposed activity that is exempt from either the Commission s review or exempt from permit approval. Road Construction Permit Shoreland Alteration Permit LOE/AR RP SA Same as above with Advisory Ruling. Permits for the construction, realignment, and substantial repair of roads (excluding land management roads). Permits for activities affecting the shoreline of lakes, ponds, rivers, or streams (e.g. activities involving: riprap, dredging, permanent docks, the intrusion of structures into or over a wetland or waterbody, and utility lines within or buried beneath a wetland or waterbody). Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 2

3 Permit Name Abbreviation Description Service Drop SD Permits for certain utility lines. Subdivision Permit SP Permits to create new lots where the lot(s) do not qualify as exemptions, Utility Line Permit ULP Permits for certain utility lines (e.g. activities involving: electric power transmission or distribution lines, telephone lines, etc.) that require a permit and therefore do not qualify as an exemption or as a Service Drop. Wetland Alteration Permit WL Permits related to the alteration of wetlands (e.g. activities involving: filling or dredging of wetlands, etc.). Zoning Petition ZP Petitions to rezone a specified land area to another subdistrict(s). Permitting Activity Regionwide According to the LUPC records, there have been 6,346 permits and actions in Aroostook County since The northeastern subregion had the highest number of permits with 4,120 (64.9%), followed by the southern subregion with 1,536 (24.2%), and the northwestern at 690 (10.8%). The table below lists the most active townships and plantations, seven of the top (10) are located in the northeastern subregion. NMDC staff did not review any of the Advisory Ruling data. Most Active Townships/Plantation Name Permits Percent of Overall Permits in Aroostook County Sinclair Township (NE) Permits Percent of Overall Permits in Aroostook County Name Oxbow Plantation (NE) Winterville Plantation (NE) T17 R3(NE) Cross Lake Township (NE) Cary Plantation (S) Benedicta Connor Township Madawaska Lake Township (NE) (S) Reed Plantation (S) Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 3

4 The following table shows the most popular permitting activities in the region. Building permit activity was the most prominent activity with over 70 percent of the total number of permits. Development permits, those relating to commercial and industrial development, were a distant second at slightly over 10 percent and great pond permits followed at 4.6 percent. Forest operations permits and zoning petitions rounded out the top five. The two least utilized permits are IFW Shoreland Alteration (IFW-SA) Permit and Large Lot Division Plan (LDP) with five (5) each. Neither of these permit types have been utilized by the LUPC since Top Permitting Activity, Name Permits Percent of overall total permits Building Permit Development Permit Great Ponds Permit Name Permits Percent of overall total permits Letter of Exemption Letter of Exemption/ Advisory Ruling Shoreland Alteration Permit Forest Operation Permit Service Drop Zoning Petition Permitting Activity- Southern Subregion Overall Permitting Utility Line Permit According to the LUPC, there were a total of 1,536 permits applications and actions in the southern sub region between 1973 and December A vast majority of the permit applications were building permits (BP) with 76.2 percent of the total activity, followed by development permits (7.6%), and forest operations permits (5.6%). The southern subregion contains a mixture of land uses ranging from commercial forestlands, recreational properties, agriculture, residential, and commercial/industrial areas. Cary Plantation had the most activity during the period with 237 permits, followed by Benedicta (213), and Reed Plantation (193). All twenty-five (25) of the unorganized townships or plantations located in the southern subregion had some form of permit activity. TC R2 had the Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 4

5 fewest permits issued with two (2) during the time period. In total, the southern sub region saw approximately 24 percent of the permitting activity in Aroostook County. The following table highlights permitting activity and actions in the southern subregion. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 5

6 Southern Sub region Permit Type Township or Plantation BCP BP DP FOP GP IFW-SA LDP LOE LOE/AR RP SA SD SP ULP WL ZP Benedicta Cary Plantation Dudley Township Forkstown Township Glenwood Plantation Hammond Macwahoc Plantation Molunkus Moro Plantation North Yarmouth Academy Reed Plantation St. Croix Township Silver Ridge Township T1 R T2 R T3 R T3 R T4 R T7 R T8R T8 R TA R TC R Upper Molunkus Webbertown Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 6

7 Building Permit Activity- Southern Subregion When further broken down, building permit activity comprised the largest percentage of activity. Building permits applications are reviewed for activities associated with residential development that requires a permit (e.g. activities involving: a camp, a garage, porches, etc.). As such unorganized townships and plantations that have the highest population densities typically have the greatest amount of activity. Building permit activity covers an array of activity so numbers were further broken down into permits for new dwellings. New dwellings could be permanent, seasonal, camper trailers, accessory structures, or similar uses. It should be noted that the GOAT database breaks down activity by use but it is difficult to sort to obtain exact numbers of new dwelling units. LUPC notes net number of new dwelling units. The permit for new dwelling was denoted with a 1 in the GOAT database. Of the 1,171 building permits, 523 (44.6%) resulted in the construction of a new dwelling. Cary Plantation had the largest amount of activity and the overall largest number of new dwellings. Those townships that are located near or on water bodies or are considered traditional outdoor sporting areas had a high percentage of seasonal camps and trailers. In the more urbanized areas, much of the building permit activity was a result of renovations and additions. Township or Plantation Building Permit Activity Permits for New Dwellings Percent of Benedicta Cary Plantation Dudley Township Forkstown Township Glenwood Plantation Hammond Macwahoc Plantation Molunkus Moro Plantation North Yarmouth Academy Reed Plantation St. Croix Township Silver Ridge Township T1 R T2 R T3 R Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 7

8 Township or Plantation Building Permit Activity Permits for New Dwellings Percent of T3 R T4 R T7 R T8R T8 R TA R TC R Webbertown Development Permit Activity- Southern Subregion Development permits are for activities associated with non-residential development that requires a permit (e.g. activities involving: commercial sporting camps, retail store, warehouse, mill, wind turbines, campground, resort, etc.). There were 117 development permits in the subregion. Most of the development permit activity was for small scale commercial and industrial operations such as an addition to sporting camps, additions to existing businesses, home occupations, mineral and gravel extraction, However, more recent activity is a result of a greater number of measuring (meteorological) towers and telecommunication towers activity. Subdivision Activity The following table shows subdivision activity approved by LUPC staff occurred in five townships with a total of 87 new lots created. In 1974, a 340 acre subdivision was approved in Macwahoc Plantation with the creation of 49 new lots. This is the largest permitted subdivision in Aroostook County. The most recent activity occurred in 2011 on Molunkus Lake but most activity occurred in the 1990s. Approved Subdivision Permits (SP) Number of Lots Township or Plantation Benedicta 2 16 Cary Plantation 1 5 Glenwood Plantation 2 13 Macwahoc Plantation 3 49 Molunkus This subregion had two (2) applications withdrawn by the applicant. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 8

9 Permitting Activity Northeastern Subregion Overall Activity The northeastern subregion had the greatest amount of permit activity and actions with over sixty-four (64.9%) of all activity. Like the southern region, building permit activity comprised the highest activity/action at 73 percent of the total activity. A distant second was the development permits (8.8%) and Great Pond permit (6.9%). This sub region is home to the Fish River Chain of Lakes and Madawaska Lake, both of which are moderately to heavily developed and popular tourism destinations with a large number of seasonal camps and second homes. Twenty-seven (27) of the twenty-eight (28) townships had some form of permitting activity and actions. By far, the most active township/plantation was Sinclair Township with 685 actions, followed by Winterville (474), Cross Lake Township (449), Connor Township (390), and Madawaska Lake Township (332). As stated above, with the exception of Connor, each of these townships contain popular lakes that are moderately to heavily developed. Connor is considered a bedroom community to Caribou and the cost of living is perceived to be less there than Caribou. As a result, this township has seen population increases since the 1980s. It should be noted that the bedroom community designation is most likely a result of property taxation issues and not land use regulations/ zoning. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 9

10 Northeastern Sub region Permit Type Township or Plantation BCP BP DP FOP GP IFW-SA LDP LOE LOE/AR RP SA SD SP ULP WL ZP Connor Township Cross Lake Township Cyr Plantation E Township Garfield Plantation Hamlin Madawaska Lake Township Nashville Plantation Oxbow Plantation St. John Plantation Scopan Township Sinclair Township T9 R T9 R T9 R T10 R T10 R T11 R T13 R T14 R T15 R T15 R T16 R T16 R T17 R TD R Winterville Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 10

11 Building Permit Activity In the northeastern subregion, 26 percent of the building permit activity resulted in new dwelling units. Connor had the highest number of new dwelling permits with 165. Winterville had the next highest number of permits and St. John Plantation was third. St. John is also considered a bedroom community to Fort Kent. Twenty-three of the 28 townships had building permit activity. The lakes region (Sinclair, T17R3, T16R5, Cross Lake, Winterville, and Madawaska Lake) saw a relatively low percentage of new dwelling units which may be due to the amount of development already located around the shoreline of these waterbodies. While there were few net new dwellings, seasonal conversions made up a high percentage of the building permit activity within those townships. The result is that the usage of those units has changed during the timeframe from a seasonal type use to year round. Township or Plantation Building Permits Permits for New Dwellings Percent of total Connor Township Cross Lake Township Cyr Plantation E Township Garfield Plantation Hamlin Madawaska Lake Township Nashville Plantation Oxbow Plantation St. John Plantation Scopan Township Sinclair Township T9 R T9 R T9 R T10 R T10 R T11 R T15 R T16 R T17 R TD R Winterville Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 11

12 Development Activity Much like the southern subregion, most of the development activity was small scale commercial and industrial. There were 365 permits in the subregion with Nashville Plantation having the highest number at 55. These projects also trended towards being larger scale in nature as Nashville is the home to several mills. However, most of the activity did not result in the construction of net new structures. As stated in the southern subregion, there were gravel and mineral extraction operations, additions to existing businesses, addition of storage sheds, utility construction, meteorological towers, and water extraction for irrigation purposes. Some of the larger developments occurred in Nashville Plantation, Garfield Plantation, Madawaska Lake Township, St. John Plantation, and Oxbow. Examples include: a 12 unit elderly complex constructed in St. John Plantation in 1989, sporting camps in Oxbow, a campground in Madawaska Lake in 2005, and sawmills in Garfield and Nashville Plantations. Subdivision Activity Subdivisions were approved in four (4) townships with a total of 35 new lots created. Winterville was the most active community in the subregion (and Aroostook County) with 10 approved applications and 23 lots created. The most recent activity was a subdivision amendment in 2005 (Winterville) with a majority of the activity occurring in the 1990s with minor modifications/amendments in the early 2000s. Approved Subdivision Permits (SP) Number of Lots Created Township or Plantation Connor 1 3 Sinclair 1 3 T16 R5 2 6 Winterville* One permit was a reduction from 3 lots to 2. This region also had three (3) disapproved applications, one each in T11R4, Hamlin, and Winterville. Two of the three applications were denied in the 1970s and one in This subregion also had six (6) applications that were withdrawn by the applicant. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 12

13 Permitting Activity- Northwestern Subregion The northwestern subregion was the least active region due mainly to the composition of land uses which are almost entirely industrial forestland intermixed with some recreational and small scale commercial development, mainly sporting camps. This region is also home to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and large acreages that has been designated as some form of conserved land. Similar to the other two regions, building permit activity makes up the highest percentage of activity at 35.3 percent followed by development permit (25.1%). Unlike the other subregions, forestry operation permits make up the third highest percentage (19.2%), very much indicative of the current and historic land uses in the area. The following table shows the total permit activity in the northwestern subregion. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 13

14 Northwestern Region Township or Plantation BCP BP DP FOP GP IFW-SA LDP LOE LOE/AR RP SA SD SP ULP WL ZP Big Twenty Township Clayton Lake T9 R T9 R T10 R T10 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T12 R T12 R T12 R T12 R T12 R T12 R T12R T12 R T12 R T12 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T14 R Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 14

15 Township or Plantation BCP BP DP FOP GP IFW-SA LDP LOE LOE/AR RP SA SD SP ULP WL ZP T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T15 R T15 R T15 R T15 R T15 R T15 R T15 R T16 R T16 R T16 R T16 R T17 R T17 R T18 R T18 R T18 R T18 R T19 R T19 R Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 15

16 Building Permit Activity The following table indicates building permit activity and net new dwellings in the northwestern subregion. The townships with the greatest activity, similar to those in the northeast, are those with developed waterbodies, including Big Machias, Clayton Lake, Pratt Lake, and Rowe Lake; all of which are located just west of Ashland. Township or Plantation Building Permit Net New Dwellings Percent of Big Twenty Township Clayton Lake T9 R T10 R T10 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T11 R T12 R T12 R T12 R T12 R T12R T12 R T12 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T13 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T14 R T15 R T15 R T15 R Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 16

17 Township or Plantation Building Permit Net New Dwellings Percent of T15 R T15 R T16 R T16 R T16 R T17 R T18 R T18 R T18R Development Permits Much like the southern subregion, most of the development activity was small scale commercial and industrial. There were 173 permits in the subregion with T15R9 (Deboullie area) having the highest number at 22. These projects were almost all related to the recreational industry and included additions to sporting camps, new access roads, campsite development, and development of parking areas. However, most of the activity did not result in the construction of net new structures. As stated in the other regions, activity also included was gravel and mineral extraction operations, additions to existing businesses, addition of storage sheds, utility construction, meteorological towers, and development of airstrips. Subdivision Activity There has been no subdivision activity in this subregion. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 17

18 General Conclusions and Next Steps Permitting activity provides a good historic perspective of what has happened in the unorganized townships and plantations but is less helpful in identifying what did not or could not happen. NMDC staff will complete a more thorough review of the data from 2000 to present. Data older than 2000 will not be reviewed. According to the LUPC staff, in the past Advisory Rulings (AR) were more of a Yes, go ahead with what you want to do and you don t need a permit (or you do need a permit) rather than a determination of what couldn t be done. NMDC and LUPC staff will complete a more specific identification of where development occurred in Connor, Winterville, and Cary to determine if there is a pattern. NMDC has tax map information for those plantations. Specific map and lot data will not be identified but rather if development occurred along major transportation corridors, around major resources, or were scattered throughout the community, etc. There has been no subdivision activity in the region in the 2000s with the exception of the subdivision around Glenwood Plantation in 2010 or 11. This may be more indicative of the economic condition in the region and not a land use issue. Connor and St. John are considered bedroom communities to their Service Centers (Caribou and Fort Kent). This may be indicative of a property tax (lower in the Plantations) issue rather than land use as each Service Center has townwide zoning ordinances in place that are, in some cases, far more stringent than the LUPC s standards. NMDC staff will complete a more thorough review of Zoning Petitions and Zoning Petition withdrawals in the region. This review will be limited to a change in development patterns as opposed to a change in protection districts.. Community Guided Planning and Zoning Page 18