NORWAY — Plans to move the Gingerbread House farther up Main Street this fall will proceed. Voters approved a shoreland zoning ordinance change Thursday evening.

Despite concerns from several at the special town meeting, the majority of the 30-plus voters approved an amendment that will allow the 1851 Evans-Cummings House to be relocated from near the Advertiser-Democrat newspaper building west toward Butters Park.

“A situation developed that we hadn’t seen in a very long time,” explained Planning Board Chairman Dennis Gray. Town officials recently learned that the shoreland zoning ordinance requires a 40,000-square-foot lot to accommodate the Gingerbread House, instead of 10,000 square feet as stipulated in the building code and comprehensive plan.

The three-story house is near Pennesseewassee Stream.

Gray said the move to amend the zoning ordinance was not only to help the move of the approximately 20- by 80-foot-long Gingerbread House, but it’s part of planned shoreland zoning changes to the town’s comprehensive plan that are being required by the state.

Selectman Michael Twitchell, who voted against the zoning change, said after the meeting that he was not opposed to moving the house but concerned about the lot size.

“I think the lot is too small. That’s the only reason,” he said.

Resident Tere Porter said a neighbor was denied a variance in a similar shoreland zoning issue, and although he supports the Gingerbread House move, he’s concerned about fairness.

The new lot near Butters Park is about 11,000 to 12,000 square feet, officials said.

C’s Inc., which is a real estate holding company affiliated with Sun Media Group, publishers of the Sun Journal and Advertiser-Democrat, agreed late in 2008 to delay demolition of the historic home if a grassroots organization of volunteers could successfully figure out a way to move the large house that’s in disrepair.

Voters also Thursday approved a request to close Damon Road in the winter. The move was made at the request of the sole resident there, the Rev.  Robert Sallies, who lives in South Carolina in the winter.

Fire Chief Dennis Yates said he is concerned about getting to Sallies’ house  and other summer residences in winter if there’s a fire. In the next budget cycle he will discuss the possibility of obtaining a six-wheeler to reach hard-to-get-to places, he said.

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