Lisbon Planning Board Postpones Hearing, Extends Solar Approval

The Lisbon Planning Board postponed a public hearing and related unfinished business on October 8, 2026 because of insufficient notice, with a new date expected in about two weeks. The board also granted an eight-month extension for a solar array project on Boatenham Road and discussed a town council zoning change affecting marijuana cultivation in the diversified development zone.

Key points

• The board postponed a scheduled public hearing and related unfinished business after being told there was insufficient notice; the town manager said the items will be renoticed and a new date set, with the next meeting about two weeks out as the target.
• The board voted 5-0 to approve an eight-month extension, to June 8, for the Tier 2 site plan review for the Lisbon Falls Solar (Nexamp) array on Boatenham Road, case 24-12, citing construction and design delays.
• Henry Farnham, representing Nexamp, said plans were set to be released the next day, followed by a building permit application and a Public Works driveway permit, with construction hoped to start in mid to late winter and a CMP connection around late next year.
• A board member introduced new assistant town manager Lee J. Feldman, who starts October 19 and said his first year will focus on code enforcement, planning, and economic development.
• A board member reported that the town council voted unanimously to remove marijuana cultivation facilities from the diversified development zone, driven mainly by neighbor concerns about odor, and raised procedural questions about whether the change should have come before the Planning Board first.
• A board member said wellhead protection map files disappeared from the town website when it switched from Google Earth to GIS, and that he was able to recover copies from his own computer.

Next steps

• Town staff will renotice the postponed public hearing and unfinished business and set a new date, targeted for about two weeks after this meeting.
• The board chair and a member plan to work with legal counsel to review the procedure used for the council's zoning change on marijuana cultivation and revisit it if needed.
• A board member asked the town manager and staff to restore or convert the wellhead protection map files for the town website.
• Nexamp will prepare its building permit application and work with Public Works on a driveway permit before mobilizing for construction.

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