Norway Planning Board rejects solar array

By Carlyssa Baker

Published on: August 17, 2026

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.

Read the full article at https://themainemonitor.org/norway-rejects-solar-array-advances-apa...

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