Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to Maine Property and the LURC
Posted 08-04-2008 at 06:43 PM by Nor'Eastah
The Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) in Maine is the zoning and planning board for some 10 million acres of land in the unorganized townships (UT's). There are many reasons why, if you are looking for Maine property, you should consider buying in a UT. These townships and plantations have no municipal government, so taxes tend to be quite low. Also, while a building permit is required for any 'permanent' structure, the builder will normally not be visited by inspectors, and therefore building codes are for practical purposes, non-existent.
It is not my purpose here to address the controversies involving the LURC, namely it's latest CLUP (Comprehensive Land Use Plan) or the Plum Creek/Moosehead controversy. All I am concerned with here is something called the "Two-in-Five Rule", an exemption to the LURC's subdivision review.
What the "Two-in-Five Rule" does is allow a landowner to subdivide his property once (into two lots) every five years without approval by the LURC. For instance, if two buyers were to find a 60-acre property for $79,900 and the seller had not divided that lot in the past 5 years, the two buyers could purchase it and divide it as they saw fit. If one wanted just 15 acres and the other was willing to take the other 45 acres, then the purchase price could be split accordingly and each would have a legally separate land parcel at a price that would be less than a comparable acreage bought by itself.
This is an important exemption and one that is not mentioned much by realtors or sellers. Some LURC detractors claim that the latest CLUP is attempting to modify or eliminate this provision. However, that would require an act of the Legislature. Not impossible, but unlikely in the near future.
In my recent blog on Main Acres, Cheaper By The Dozen, I pointed out that properties of higher acreages usually sell for less per acre than smaller properties. Here then is a provision that would allow two buyers to combine their purchasing power by teaming up to buy a larger parcel at lower cost per acre, then split it into suitable portions for each.
The chief problem with this method of attack is a forum for meeting of those who would like to combine their purchasing power with another buyer. Where to meet such buyers? How to determine which buyers are looking for the same type of land? Which buyers are looking to spend x dollars for y acres? Who is interested in what area? These questions and more could be addressed in a centralized forum or website, where prospective buyers post their objectives, and search for a suitable match.
It is very likely that I may introduce such a forum for prospective Maine land purchasers.
- Dave (Nor'Eastah)
It is not my purpose here to address the controversies involving the LURC, namely it's latest CLUP (Comprehensive Land Use Plan) or the Plum Creek/Moosehead controversy. All I am concerned with here is something called the "Two-in-Five Rule", an exemption to the LURC's subdivision review.
What the "Two-in-Five Rule" does is allow a landowner to subdivide his property once (into two lots) every five years without approval by the LURC. For instance, if two buyers were to find a 60-acre property for $79,900 and the seller had not divided that lot in the past 5 years, the two buyers could purchase it and divide it as they saw fit. If one wanted just 15 acres and the other was willing to take the other 45 acres, then the purchase price could be split accordingly and each would have a legally separate land parcel at a price that would be less than a comparable acreage bought by itself.
This is an important exemption and one that is not mentioned much by realtors or sellers. Some LURC detractors claim that the latest CLUP is attempting to modify or eliminate this provision. However, that would require an act of the Legislature. Not impossible, but unlikely in the near future.
In my recent blog on Main Acres, Cheaper By The Dozen, I pointed out that properties of higher acreages usually sell for less per acre than smaller properties. Here then is a provision that would allow two buyers to combine their purchasing power by teaming up to buy a larger parcel at lower cost per acre, then split it into suitable portions for each.
The chief problem with this method of attack is a forum for meeting of those who would like to combine their purchasing power with another buyer. Where to meet such buyers? How to determine which buyers are looking for the same type of land? Which buyers are looking to spend x dollars for y acres? Who is interested in what area? These questions and more could be addressed in a centralized forum or website, where prospective buyers post their objectives, and search for a suitable match.
It is very likely that I may introduce such a forum for prospective Maine land purchasers.
- Dave (Nor'Eastah)
Total Comments 1
Comments
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Interesting concept-Land co-op. By the way great job blazing the trail (previous blogs) to lead up to here. I'll keep tracking with interest.Posted 10-22-2008 at 01:01 PM by Think'n Maine
