OTISFIELD — Almost one year after Otisfield residents approved a moratorium on solar development, the planning board has scheduled a public hearing to present its draft of an ordinance that would allow the moratorium to expire and new projects to proceed.
The town’s first solar farm project was permitted by the planning board under federal and Maine state regulations back in 2021 and went online late last summer.
But after a second energy developer expressed interest in starting another project in the Spurr’s Corner neighborhood, selectmen acted to avoid seeing more built in town with no local governance and called a special town meeting to pass a six-month moratorium that would enable planners to write an ordinance.
The moratorium has been renewed throughout the year as the planning board reviewed policies enacted by other communities and began crafting a draft, with consulting services provided by Contract Planner David Galbraith of Androscoggin Council of Governments.
A draft of the ordinance was presented to the town’s attorney last fall. The held a workshop three weeks ago to review edits and revise the draft.
According to Planning Board Chair Karen Turino, a second draft will be presented to residents ahead of a public hearing on the ordinance, which is scheduled for 7 p.m., Jan. 19, at the Otisfield Community Hall.
“We will have a draft ready for the townspeople of Otisfield to review at the Town Office prior to the scheduled Public Hearing,” Turino told the Advertiser Democrat in an email statement. “Listening to the public and responding to their comments and concerns is an important part of the remaining process, since they will be the final deciders of whether the solar ordinance is approved at a special town meeting. This will be their ordinance for the planning board to use when considering applications for solar energy systems in our town once it is adopted and the moratorium is lifted.”
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