LOVELL, Maine — Residents in the western Maine town of Lovell have successfully blocked a major solar project from being built.
"We want to protect the rural character and historical character of what we have here. This is special," Tim Cyr said.
Cyr is a resident of Lovell and also serves on the town's Comprehensive Plan Review Committee.
This weekend, Lovell residents voted 202-30 to adopt an ordinance that will regulate solar in the town. It comes after a roughly 177-acre solar farm was proposed for the town.
The group Walden Renewables proposed the project in late 2021 and designed it to be built between Christian Hill Road and Shave Hill Road. Many residents were not pleased to hear of the proposal. Opponents said the project would have cut down more than 10,000 trees.
"It's not about, 'We don't want it in our back yard.' We want to control what's in our yard," Lovell resident Libby Bender said.
Bender said that when she heard about the project, she connected with neighbors and other residents in the area and found strong opposition to the plan. Residents worked to collect signatures to bring forth a special town meeting, during which a moratorium on solar projects was enacted.
"It was a grassroots uprising, spontaneous. It was a wonderful thing," Lovell resident Tom McLaughlin said.
Residents formed the group Our Eden Association and hired political consultant and former state Rep. Tim O'Neil to help draft an ordinance regarding solar for the town.
Members of Our Eden Association that spoke with NEWS CENTER Maine said they have no opposition to solar power. They do, however, oppose the magnitude of the project proposed for the town and the impact it could have.
"They didn't have any zoning that addressed solar energy. And when you're talking about a project the size of 150 football fields, you should have zoning in place," O'Neil said.
O'Neil and members of the Our Eden Association helped draft an ordinance for the town, and, on Saturday, voters overwhelmingly approved the plan in a special town meeting.
"We've got to recognize what we are. We don't need to be Gorham or Portland. We don't want to do that. We have our own town; the voters have spoken," Cyr said.
"We've been talking about getting a solar ordinance for a long time. And this kind of pushed us over the edge [to] make it happen now because it was important to tell these people coming in to develop, 'This is what we want in our town, not your plan.' It's our plan in town," Cyr added.
Those who helped draft the ordinance said major solar projects will now be limited to 10 acres and will only be allowed in areas of town that are zoned for industrial use.
O'Neil said projects are divided into three sizes: small, medium, and large. Small and medium-sized solar projects, such as homes, businesses, or schools, require approval from the town, similar to a building permit. Larger, industrially-zoned projects have a more thorough review.
"We expect other people may try to come in here, and we won't be caught empty-handed. We won't be caught flat-footed," McLaughlin said.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to Walden Renewables for comment on the ordinance and has not heard back.