KENNEBEC JOURNAL • October 5, 2023
Six months after four controversial ordinance proposals were sidelined in West Gardiner, voters approved them Thursday night at a special town meeting. With no zoning other than what state law requires, no planning board, no requirement for building permits and a comprehensive plan that dates back more than three decades, West Gardiner has been facing the same development pressures as its central Maine neighbors, but without the growth regulations adopted in other communities. Residents voted for a ban on new, large-scale solar energy systems, while allowing families and businesses to install small systems for their own use.