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Full-Text Articles in Law

Some Model Amendments To Maine (And Other States') Land Use Control Legislation, Orlando E. Delogu, Sam Merrill, Philip R. Saucier Nov 2017

Some Model Amendments To Maine (And Other States') Land Use Control Legislation, Orlando E. Delogu, Sam Merrill, Philip R. Saucier

Maine Law Review

This model legislation consisting of ten separate provisions is intended to clarify and/or expand existing Maine law dealing with planning and land use regulation. It expands existing statutes by addressing a number of issues not presently covered by law. The overarching purpose of the proposed legislation is to underscore that planning and the imposition of land use regulations is not exclusively the responsibility of local governments but instead is a shared duty of the state and local governments. This is clearly stated in the text and commentary of Provision I, and is a theme that pervades all ten legislative proposals. …


Will Bell V. Town Of Wells Be Eroded With Time?, Sidney St. F. Thaxter Nov 2017

Will Bell V. Town Of Wells Be Eroded With Time?, Sidney St. F. Thaxter

Maine Law Review

In 1989, the Maine Law Court issued a landmark decision regarding the ownership of the land between the mean high-water mark and the mean low-water mark (the intertidal zone) in a case entitled Bell v. Town of Wells.1 This decision was controlled, in part, by the 1986 decision in the same case. Bell I was decided following an appeal by the plaintiff-landowners from the lower court decision dismissing Counts I and II of their Complaint as “barred by sovereign immunity.” The lower court found that “the State has an interest in Moody Beach and in that sense it has title,” …


Striking An Equitable Balance: Placing Reasonable Limits On Retroactive Zoning Changes After Kittery Retail Ventures, Llc V. Town Of Kittery, Heather B. Sanborn Nov 2017

Striking An Equitable Balance: Placing Reasonable Limits On Retroactive Zoning Changes After Kittery Retail Ventures, Llc V. Town Of Kittery, Heather B. Sanborn

Maine Law Review

Thirty years ago, a developer who wanted to build a shopping center had to do little more than obtain a building permit to go forward with the project. Today, however, the regulation and review of development projects involves a lengthy process of securing a series of permits, often including site plan or subdivision approvals, traffic studies, and environmental impact reviews. Navigating this review process forces developers to negotiate with the community and design their projects to fit the applicable standards adopted by the local, state, and federal regulations, arguably improving the quality of development in our communities. But the lengthy …


Not Losing The Forest For The Trees: Distinguishing Conservation Transfer Fees From Other Private Transfer Fees, Frank C. Aiello Oct 2017

Not Losing The Forest For The Trees: Distinguishing Conservation Transfer Fees From Other Private Transfer Fees, Frank C. Aiello

Maine Law Review

Private transfer fee covenants against real property are increasingly under fire from Congress, federal regulators, and state legislatures. This fire has been fueled by strong advocacy from the National Association of Realtors. It will only be a matter of time before private transfer fees will also be challenged in state courts as not meeting the common law requirements for a servitude. As these bodies take aim at the private transfer fee, they literally must not lose sight of the forest for the trees. A private transfer fee that benefits conservation and environmental stewardship is consistent with the traditional use of …


Urban Development Legislation For Cities, By Cities, Kellen Zale Jan 2017

Urban Development Legislation For Cities, By Cities, Kellen Zale

Maine Law Review

Thank you so much for inviting me to speak as part of this symposium. It is a great honor to be here in the company of such distinguished speakers to learn about the impressive legacy of Senator Muskie. My presentation today connects the legacy of Senator Muskie, and specifically, his work on urban development and Model Cities, to contemporary urban development legislation. Thus, this presentation picks up where my co-panelist, Don Nicoll, left off, by considering how the Model Cities legacy is both a foundation of and a counterpoint to contemporary urban development policies and programs. While urban development legislation …


Model Cities, Senator Muskie And Creative Federalism, Donald E. Nicoll Jan 2017

Model Cities, Senator Muskie And Creative Federalism, Donald E. Nicoll

Maine Law Review

The odd couple partnership of Senator Edmund S. Muskie and President Lyndon B. Johnson in the passage of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 is a story with several subplots and insights into their different approaches to the art of democratic governance. For Senator Muskie, the president’s proposal was based on valid concepts, but he doubted the legislation’s viability in the Senate and he had serious reservations about its timeliness and capacity to address the problems the legislation was supposed to solve. The President was determined that the ambitious initiative, developed by a secret task force he …


Edmund Muskie's Creative Federalism And Urban Development Today, Peter Pitegoff Jan 2017

Edmund Muskie's Creative Federalism And Urban Development Today, Peter Pitegoff

Maine Law Review

How fitting it is to view urban development policy today with reference to Edmund Muskie and his role as U.S. Senator from Maine in the 1966 enactment of the Model Cities Program. The University of Maine School of Law is honored that the Maine Law Review 2014 symposium is part of this centennial celebration of Ed Muskie’s life and work. His wide-ranging career brought Muskie from Maine—where he served as state legislator and Governor—to national and global affairs as Senator, Secretary of State, and Vice Presidential nominee, and in other prominent leadership roles. We are fortunate to welcome Don Nicoll …


Maine's Open Lands: Public Use Of Private Land, The Right To Roam And The Right To Exclude, Peter H. Kenlan Jan 2017

Maine's Open Lands: Public Use Of Private Land, The Right To Roam And The Right To Exclude, Peter H. Kenlan

Maine Law Review

On a late summer afternoon, a boy pilots a small boat toward a deserted beach while another crouches in the bow with an anchor poised and ready. As the boat gently scrapes to a halt, the anchor lands in the wet sand with a dull thud and the two boys splash ashore. Equipped only with peanut butter sandwiches, they set off along the beach looking for tide pools. Behind them, they leave only a few ephemeral footprints--readily erased by the waves. On a bright and clear February morning, a man rides his snowmobile along a well-traveled trail. The scenery flashes …


Lotting Large: The Phenomenon Of Minimum Lot Size Laws, Paul Boudreaux Jan 2017

Lotting Large: The Phenomenon Of Minimum Lot Size Laws, Paul Boudreaux

Maine Law Review

A dominant feature of American metropolitan areas is large lot zoning—the policy through which only house lots of a minimum size are permitted. This practice of "lotting large" contributes greatly to the sprawling nature of American suburbs. By restraining the supply of housing, large lot zoning laws please existing suburban homeowners. But they harm all other segments of the American populace, including the million new households who seek a home in the United States each year. This article explains how courts have been unwilling or unable to impose any meaningful restraints on local governments. It develops a simple economic model …