BRUNSWICK, Maine — Representatives of Waterfront Maine, the owner of Fort Andross on the Androscoggin River, will appear before the Village Review Board on Tuesday seeking permission to install 160 rooftop solar panels on the four-story former mill’s flat roof.
Fort Andross, also known as the Cabot Mill, marks one end of Maine Street and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Because it falls in the town’s Village Review Overlay District, any proposed project that would affect the historic character requires a certificate of appropriateness from the Village Review Board.
But according to an application filed with the Brunswick Planning Department, the panels on the northeast end of the 65-foot-roof would not be visible from the ground.
Anna Breinich, director of planning and development for the town, said Thursday that while she will recommend a visual test before installation to the panels to make sure they would not be visible from a distance, she expects the panels to gain approval from the board.
The 100,000-square-foot complex at one time was home to the Maine Cotton & Woolen Factory Co., Worumbo Manufacturing and Cabot Manufacturing Co., according to the application.
The building now houses Frontier Cafe, Cinema & Gallery, Cabot Mill Antiques, a Thai restaurant, yoga and dance studios and, in the winter, the Brunswick winter farmers market.
ReVision Energy of Portland would install the panels, which are made of a nonreflective material, according to the application.
ReVision Energy also works with the initiative Solarize Brunswick to provide a discount rate for solar installations in town based on the number of participants. According to the organization’s website, Solarize Brunswick has added solar installations to 67 households.
Brunswick has seen a number of solar projects in recent years, including at Bowdoin College, which in 2014 installed a 1.2 megawatt solar power complex — 4,420 solar panels — on various sites across the campus.
Breinich said she expects the board to make a decision on the project on Tuesday.