NOBLEBORO (AP) – It might be addressing an unlikely possibility but, at least for now, there will be no big-box stores built in Nobleboro.

At the annual town meeting Saturday, Nobleboro voters approved a six-month moratorium on commercial buildings larger than 35,000 square feet.

“It’s just a Band-Aid measure,” Nobleboro Selectman Allan Jones said. “We’re just putting it aside for a while until we can write up whatever we need to have.”

The vote was the first of three in Lincoln County towns that could determine whether a Wal-Mart supercenter is built in the area.

On Tuesday, Damariscotta voters will consider a similar ordinance. Newcastle residents will do so on March 27.

Wal-Mart announced last fall that it wanted to build a 186,000-square-foot store on the outskirts of Damariscotta.

Jones said a big project in Nobleboro wasn’t probable any time soon.

“We don’t even have a gas station in town,” he said. “We’re dealing with things who knows how far down the road.”

Nobleboro Town Clerk Mary Ellen Anderson said 282 people showed up for the town meeting Saturday, about double the typical turnout.

The moratorium was discussed for about 20 minutes. Anderson said a clear majority of residents raised their hands in support of the moratorium, making a paper ballot vote unnecessary.

Once the moratorium vote was completed, about one-third of the crowd left, Anderson said.

An update of the town’s comprehensive plan is expected to go to a vote in November.

Wal-Mart said the project under consideration could produce 400 jobs. Nobleboro selectmen endorsed the moratorium.

Nobleboro town meeting attendees on Saturday also voted to halve a proposed contribution of $30,000 to upgrade facilities at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, where most Nobleboro students attend high school.