NORWAY – A new housing study could help improve local homes and bring the town’s comprehensive plan into compliance with state guidelines, Town Manager David Holt said.

Holt said Monday that he intends to apply for a $15,000 Community Development Block Grant in March. The grant would pay for a housing study in Norway, Paris and Oxford.

“One of the most prevalent issues we have to look at here is the deterioration of the older housing stock,” he said.

In the past, Norway was eligible for Community Development Block Grants that helped with everything from wiring projects to chimney repair and lead paint removal. The town is no longer eligible for such programs, Holt said, because its housing information is not up to date.

Also, the town’s comprehensive plan in October failed to meet state guidelines. One of the problems, according to a letter from the Maine State Planning Office, was a lack of regional housing information.

Although the comprehensive plan concerns only Norway, Holt asked Paris and Oxford officials at a joint meeting Nov. 16 to consider participating in the housing study.

If Norway alone applied for the housing study program, the grant award would be limited to $10,000, he said. With Paris and Oxford on board, the three towns may qualify for a $15,000 award.

Paris interim Town Manager Elisa Whiteley said Monday that she has not yet discussed the study with Holt. Oxford Town Manager Michael Chammings could not be reached for comment, nor could Michael Baran, technical assistance program manager for the Maine Office of Community Development, which administers Community Development Block Grants.

However, according to an informational letter sent to Holt by the state, housing studies must take into consideration everything from the ability of the local housing market to attract people of different ages, incomes and family sizes, to public transportation needs and how they factor into lost housing or job opportunities.

Holt said it typically takes three to six months to learn whether a grant application has been approved.

“Then it would be another year, I’m sure, to do the study,” he said.