Bancroft Deorganization - Aroostook County

Last Updated: December 11, 2015

Introduction:

Having voted November 4, 2014 to deorganize, the Town of Bancroft will change its status from town to township. This represents a major shift for the community and will require new ways of handling former town functions, some of which will be handled by Aroostook County and others by the State.

Effective July 1, 2015, the residents of Bancroft will be served by the Maine Land Use Planning Commission for all land use activities.

Developing a Zoning Map for Bancroft

State law requires the Commission to prepare a zoning map for Bancroft within one year of the July 1, 2015 deorganization in conformance with M.R.S  § 685-7A. In 2015 Commission staff gathered available data and mapped existing development and existing natural resources in Bancroft in order to determine appropriate locations for Development, Management, and Protection subdistricts within the township and to develop a Land Use Guidance Map (also referred to as a zoning map). The Commission held public meetings in Bancroft on March 19th, 2015, and May 7th, 2015 as part of this process. Input from participants at both meetings, and from individual property owners over the course of the project, was taken into account in developing the final draft of the map. To find out more about the public meetings please check the table below. A 30 day public comment period was held from November 2, 2015 to December 2, 2015

At its regular meeting on December 9, 2015 in Presque Isle, the Commission voted to adopt the Bancroft Township Land Use Guidance Map and Zoning Petition 756. The adopted zoning will become effective December 24, 2015. To request a copy of the zoning petition ZP 756 decision document or Land Use Guidance map, please contact Ben Godsoe of the Commission’s staff at: (207) 287-2619, by e-mail: Benjamin.Godsoe@maine.gov, or write to 18 Elkins Lane, 4th Flr, 22 State House Station, Augusta Maine 04333.

Documents are provided in PDF and Microsoft Word formats. To view PDF documents, you will need the free Adobe Reader. To view MS Word documents, you will need Microsoft Word or the free Word Viewer.

Project Updates and Upcoming Events

Event Date and Time Materials
Adoption of Bancroft Twp Land Use Guidance Map and Zoning Petition ZP 756 12/9/2015
Public Comment Opportunity: Proposal to establish zoning in Bancroft Township as a result of municipal deorganization. 11/2/2015
Second Public Meeting
18 School House Road, Bancroft, ME		 5/7/2015
3:00PM - 5:00PM
First Public Meeting
18 School House Road, Bancroft, ME		 3/19/2015
3:00PM - 5:00PM

The Commission's Statute and Rules

Document Title and Description Links
The LUPC Zoning Maps - The LUPC has tabloid size color zoning maps available for download in PDF format. Zoning Maps
Title 12 Land Use Law - The Commission's enabling statute, including criteria for approval of a development permit. 12 M.R.S (HTML)
Refer to Section 685-B(4).
Commission's Land Use Districts and Standards - Description of the Commission's land use subdistricts and land use standards applied in review of development proposals. Ch 10: Land Use Districts and Standards (HTML)
Commission's Rules of Practice and Rules for the Conduct of Public Hearings - Detailed description of the Commission's rules of practice (Chapter 4), including rules for permit applications, when to hold a public hearing, and procedures and time limits for issuing a permit decision; and the Commission's rules for the conduct of public hearings (Chapter 5). Ch 4: Rules of Practice (DOC)
Ch 5: Rules for the Conduct of Public Hearings (DOC)