NORWAY — With the lack of parking a potential deal breaker for Mike Hanes’ plan to renovate the long-vacant Odd Fellows Hall at 389 Main St., the developer has found a solution.

Hanes told the Planning Board on Thursday night that he had secured 11 parking spaces in a lot formerly used by the Sun Journal at the intersection of Main Street and Pikes Hill Road. That was enough to sway acting Chairman Michael Quinn and Jeff Stuhr to approve the application to renovate the historic three-story structure.

The vote was 2-1, with Anita Hamilton opposed.

Chairman Dennis Gray sat in the audience and recused himself from voting and member Anthony Morra left before the vote.

The plan involves creating 16 affordable apartments on the upper floors and the basement and an 1,800-square-foot commercial space on the first floor.

Built in 1893, it has been vacant for more than 22 years. Plagued by broken windows and pigeons, the hall was listed in 2013 by Maine Preservation as one of the 10 most endangered historic buildings in the state.

A site walk Monday allowed board members and the public to get a firsthand look at the enormity of the renovations required.

Despite the 11 additional parking spaces, Hamilton did not believe that solved the lack of parking. She complained about the lack of enforcement of illegal parking in the downtown area and said this would only add to the problem.

Parking was the only issue for the board as it reviewed the application Thursday to see if it met all of the performance standards. While Hamilton questioned the plan for parking, Stuhr said the application “meets the standard, based on the Sun Journal parking lot.”

Hamilton said she could not support the project.

“I still have concerns,” she said. “I’ve watched and I’ve lived with the fact that we make concessions with lack of enforcement, and other people are left to deal with the hardships and consequences.”

But Stuhr countered that enforcement is not a Planning Board issue.

“When it comes to approving or not approving the project, enforcement has nothing to do with it,” Stuhr said. “In my opinion, (Hanes) is meeting what the standards are. Enforcement is a town issue.”

“I can’t see it used as a commercial project,” Stuhr said. “It requires millions and millions of dollars to renovate. He has the funding to do that, and it’s meeting a great need for the town of Norway in housing. If the concern is enforcement, that is not what is in front of us.”

Scott Berk, owner of Cafe Nomad on Main Street and president of Norway Downtown, wrote a letter to the board in support of the project, calling it a unique opportunity.

“The building has been an eyesore for a long time,” Berk wrote. “Bricks have been falling from near the roof, posing danger to people walking below, windows were broken out, the floors were littered with dead pigeons, creating a health hazard. … It was always clear that this going to be a difficult project. The building requires several million dollars of work.”

“Parking is somewhat of a concern,” he said, “but it is nowhere near the concern of this building continuing to sit abandoned in the middle of our beautiful and important Norway Downtown Historic and Business District.”

The project calls for 16 units of affordable housing at 80% of the average income in Oxford County, including two apartments that meet Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible guidelines on the first floor. Fourteen of the apartments will be one bedroom. Four apartments will be in the basement and cannot be considered ADA compliant because of the slope behind the building, Hanes said last month.

The street level would be rebuilt to its original appearance, looking similar to the iconic Opera House next door.

The housing part of the project will be financed 100% by the Maine State Housing Authority, Hanes said.

While public comment was not allowed, Gray held a straw poll and by a show of hands no one among the two dozen in attendance opposed the project.

After the meeting, Hanes said the next step in the long process will be further design work and engineering studies.

Hanes and architect Jake Keeler of Jake Keeler Design Build of Portland hope to start renovations by November with a completion date tentatively set for between January and March 2025.

In the other matter before the board, members voted unanimously to approve the plan presented by Jeff Baker to open a listening lounge with restaurant and live music space at 493 Main St., located directly across from the Gingerbread House at the gateway to the downtown.

The property will include an outdoor beer garden for about 50 people. Describing it as a “chill environment,” Baker at a previous meeting said his plan was to “bring people together” for conversation and to listen to good music. Much of the music would come from his vast record collection played on a first-rate audio system, but he hopes to offer some live performances on weekends.

The music outdoors would end by 9 p.m., while the indoor facility might stay open later, Baker said, depending on interest.

To help mitigate noise concerns, Baker said he would erect an 8-foot vinyl fence around the garden area. The vinyl material would deaden the sound leaving the area and double as a sound barrier keeping traffic noise from affecting listeners’ enjoyment in the garden.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

Committee to study Buckfield cemetery policy

Next »

Oxford County arrest log: Feb. 13, 2023