Opinion ID: 2293877
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Consistency Between the Concept Plan and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan Regarding Prospective Zoning

Text: [¶ 57] Forest Ecology Network asserts that the concept plan is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan because the latter calls for prospective zoning for the Moosehead Lake region, but LURC has not created a special prospective zoning plan for the region and the concept plan cannot serve as a substitute. However, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan merely lists the Moosehead Lake region as a candidate for future prospective zoning without requiring that it be prospectively zoned. [12] Comprehensive Land Use Plan at 136. Furthermore, as previously noted, the Comprehensive Land Use Plan specifically provides for lake concept plans, and its description of the purpose of the lake concept plan [13] is similar to its description of the purpose of prospective zoning. [14] Because the Comprehensive Land Use Plan does not mandate prospective zoning for the Moosehead Lake region, the decision whether to engage in prospective zoning for the region was within LURC's discretion. Given the similarities between the goals of prospective zoning and concept plans, and the extensive public participation in the review of the concept plan, it was not unreasonable for LURC to conclude that the concept plan was consistent with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Under these circumstances, LURC did not abuse its discretion by not engaging in prospective zoning. See Sager, 2004 ME 40, ¶ 11, 845 A.2d 567.