Land Use Planning Commission receives zoning petition from Wolfden Mt. Chase, LLC, for proposed underground metallic mineral mine

January 27, 2020

AUGUSTA - The Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) has received a zoning petition from Wolfden Mt. Chase, LLC, to rezone approximately 197.5 acres of land from a General Management Subdistrict to a Planned Development Subdistrict (D-PD) in T6 R6 WELS, near Mt. Chase, Northern Penobscot County. The proposed purpose of the D-PD subdistrict is for an underground metallic mineral mine and associated buildings and infrastructure. The zoning petition is subject to and will be reviewed under the Commission's Chapter 12 rules. Chapter 12 requires a public hearing to be held by the Commission before a final decision on the petition. Wolfden Mt. Chase, LLC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wolfden Resources Corporation.

This is the first step in a multi-agency process to review the merits of this proposal. A copy of the petition and more information about the process is available for download from the project-specific webpage: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/lupc/projects/wolfden/wolfden_rezoning.html

About the Planned Development Subdistrict (D-PD)

A petitioner wishing to seek a metallic mineral mining permit from the Department of Environmental Protection under the Maine Metallic Mineral Mining Act (Title 38, chapter 3, subchapter 1, article 9) for a project located wholly or in part within the unorganized areas of the State must first petition and receive approval from the Commission for a change in subdistrict boundary to a custom, Planned Development (D-PD) Subdistrict. The D-PD subdistrict is the only Commission zoning subdistrict that would allow for metallic mineral mining. The purpose of the D-PD subdistrict is to allow for large scale, well-planned development that depends on a particular natural feature or location that is available at the proposed site.

About the LUPC

The Maine Legislature created the LUPC to extend principles of sound planning, zoning, and development to the unorganized and deorganized areas of the State, including townships and plantations. These areas either have no local government or have chosen not to administer land use controls at the local level. To learn more visit https://www.maine.gov/dacf/lupc/

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