NORWAY — The Planning Board denied an application Thursday for a solar array on Greenwood Road, ruling that the project did not meet several of the town’s development standards.
The Maine Community Power Cooperative submitted the application for a solar array at 574 Greenwood Road.
The Planning Board reconsidered the proposal after the Norway Board of Appeals remanded it for further review.
The board found that the proposal did not meet standards for preserving and enhancing the landscape, fitting the array into its surroundings and protecting the site’s historic character.
Board member Anita Hamilton questioned whether the proposed landscaping would adequately screen the array, saying the trees were too small to have an immediate visual impact.
“I don’t think this meets the standard. I do not think the plantings are going to soften the project,” Hamilton said. “It would be a lot of years before those plantings could have any impact.”
Daniel Sipe, an alternate board member, defended the proposed landscaping and other changes meant to reduce the project’s visual and environmental impacts. He said the cooperative was making a genuine effort to preserve and enhance the surrounding landscape.
“I think they’re doing what they need to do to preserve and enhance the landscape,” Sipe said. “They’re making every effort to reduce sound, to reduce neighbor view. They’re increasing vegetation in an area that does not have any trees at all.”
A resident called for another public hearing, arguing that changes to the plans warranted another chance for public comment.
A representative of Maine Community Power Cooperative pushed back on the board’s concerns, saying the group had worked to limit the project’s impact and was trying to meet the town’s requirements. The representative urged the board to rely on clear, measurable standards when evaluating the proposal.
“We need objective, quantifiable standards that we can measure things against every time,” the representative said.
Board member Shirley Boyce noted that the property sits within the town’s historic village district.
The proposal is one of two submitted in December by Matt Kennedy, head of project development for Maine Community Power Cooperative.
The cooperative operates a solar array on Bolster’s Mills Road in Harrison, and the two proposed arrays, including a second site on Patch Mountain Road, would each cover about an acre and provide power to the community.
Maine Community Power Cooperative, created with support from the Center for an Ecology-Based Economy in Norway, uses a community-based model in which member‑owners receive credits that reduce Central Maine Power Co. bills.
The board ultimately voted to deny the application, with three members in favor, Michael Quinn opposed and Anthony Morra abstaining.
The board then turned to a proposal from Dooryard to rehabilitate the former Advertiser Democrat building at 1 Pikes Hill into apartments.
Kara Wilbur of Dooryard said the project aims to preserve and rehabilitate the building.
According to plans presented to the Planning Board in July, Dooryard intends to demolish several nonhistoric additions, including a porch and a connector between sections of the building, and construct a one‑story addition, a fire‑rated stairwell and an entrance accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.
The 14 apartments would total about 9,002 square feet of living space and include a mix of studio, one‑, two‑ and three‑bedroom units, including two‑bedroom layouts with a den. One of the one‑bedroom units would be accessible under the ADA.
Apartment sizes would range from 439 to 958 square feet, and residents would have access to a shared laundry room in the basement.
The plan includes 14 parking spaces for the residential units, with additional parking available on the Water Street lot for commercial space. Each unit would also have basement storage.
The proposal follows months of uncertainty surrounding the former newspaper complex.
The Select Board considered a demolition plan in December 2025 after complaints that the building complex had become a hot spot for crime, but granted a reprieve in January 2026. The Planning Board unanimously declared the application complete.
A public hearing on the proposed apartment project is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 27.
The board also approved overnight accommodations at Lights Out Gallery at 59 Lake Road to support expansion of the annual arts festival, and it approved an application to replace a deck at 123 Valhalla Lane.
Board members agreed to allow an extension of a paved driveway at 296 Jackson Lane, pending confirmation of how much of the property falls within the water setback.
