OXFORD – Oxford and Norway residents will have an opportunity to comment on any environmental concerns they have about the proposed Lowe’s Home Improvement store on Route 26 when the planning boards of each town meet Wednesday night.

The meeting gets under way at 7 p.m. in the Oxford Municipal Building’s main meeting room.

“It’s only for the project with respect to environmental issues,” said Rodney Smith, Oxford’s code enforcement agent. The state Department of Environmental Protection must give its OK along with the planning boards for the project to proceed to the next step – the site plan review.

Officials in both towns were informed last October that Lowe’s was planning to build a store on Route 26, across the street from the stop light at Hannaford’s on land straddling Oxford and Norway. Because of the site, both towns are involved in the process.

Smith said the hearing is open to the public but all abutters within 500 feet of the site have also been notified of the hearing, as required.

If approved, the 112,649-square-foot hardware store and garden center will be built on 11.8 acres of leased land from developers Bob Bahre and his son, Gary, who developed Oxford Plains Speedway.

Smith said if the project proceeds after a decision is made on the project’s environmental impact, the next step will be a site plan review. The two boards may decide to hold a public hearing on that.

“It’s nothing required, but I imagine they probably will,” he said of the possibility of another public hearing.

Smith said the boards have not received much information from Lowe’s about the project except for a traffic study.

If approved, the project should be completed by the end of this year. Bahre said last fall that Lowe’s officials say the project could bring about 150 jobs to the area.