NORWAY — The Norway Planning Board reviewed an initial site plan last week to convert the former Advertiser Democrat building at 1 Pikes Hill into apartments.
Kara Wilbur, founder of the Maine-based housing developer Dooryard, presented the proposal. Dooryard designs and builds affordable housing, including single-family homes and small apartment buildings tailored to fit traditional Maine downtowns and village neighborhoods.
At the meeting, Wilbur said her company is eager to preserve the historic property while creating much-needed housing.
The proposal follows months of uncertainty surrounding the former newspaper complex.
The Planning Board first considered a demolition plan in December 2025 before granting a reprieve in January 2026.
“We’re excited to be part of the effort to keep these buildings standing and redevelop them,” Wilbur said. “We have pulled together a financing strategy that makes it feasible, which is a combination of historic tax credits and rural rental financing through MaineHousing.”
The project would convert the historic building into a 14-unit apartment building while preserving much of its character.
Dooryard plans to demolish several nonhistoric additions, including a porch and a connector between sections of the building, while constructing a one-story addition, a fire-rated stairwell and an entrance accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The 14 apartments would total about 9,002 square feet of living space, featuring a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, including two-bedroom layouts with a den. Plans call for one single-bedroom apartment to be accessible under the ADA.
Apartment sizes would range from 439 square feet to 958 square feet, with a shared laundry room in the basement.
On the third floor, Dooryard would preserve the building’s distinctive meeting hall ceiling and decorative arch inside one apartment, designing new interior walls so they do not obscure historic features.
In the attic, workers would place heat pumps away from the roof edge to keep them hidden from street view — another preservation measure.
At the meeting, Wilbur outlined two major hurdles the project must overcome before moving forward.
“The rest of it is kind of a moot point if we can’t figure out those two big things,” she said.
The first concern involves parking. The property now has 12 spaces, and Wilbur hopes tenants can use nearby parking on Water Street.
“We would be limiting people who rent from us to one car,” Wilbur said.
Board members expressed skepticism about whether relying on off-site street parking would work for residents.
“I’ve had people come to me who had to find their parking,” one Planning Board member said. “So I’m concerned that there has to be consistency.”
Wilbur argued that the town may need to rethink its parking requirements to encourage downtown redevelopment.
“You’ve got to be creative about this staunch advocacy of parking,” she said, adding that if Norway, which is in Oxford County, wants a “vibrant downtown,” it must be more flexible with its parking regulations.
She pointed to Newcastle in Lincoln County as an example of a town with parking rules that are less restrictive.
Some Planning Board members questioned whether patrons of neighboring businesses, such as a nearby gym, would still have adequate parking if apartment residents also relied on those spots.
“I think the biggest problem with the parking lies in the parking in the winter,” another board member said. “We’re going to have to develop some kind of a system so that people know what to do if there are more and more of them in the public lots.”
Board members also discussed the town’s minimum apartment size requirement. Several proposed apartments fall short of the 500-square-foot minimum, with the smallest measuring 439 square feet and others ranging from 450 to 475 square feet.
Members considered whether they could waive the requirement themselves or if Wilbur must request a variance from the Board of Appeals.
Ultimately, the Planning Board decided to continue working with Wilbur while the Board of Appeals considers the request.
One board member emphasized the project’s urgency, noting that Wilbur faces a Sept. 3 deadline to submit a critical MaineHousing funding application.
“She’s on a tight deadline,” the member said. “She has to move that fast to get funding.”
Other members hesitated at that pace.
“I like to move very fast, but this is a giant project, and we can’t go that fast,” a Planning Board member said.
The board did not take formal action on the proposal, but provided Wilbur with an application to continue the review process.
According to the Oxford County Registry of Deeds, Oxford Plains Enterprises has owned the property since 2019.
The board is expected to discuss the project again at its next meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13.