Depending on how his first acre of hops goes, Christopher Juntera hopes to expand to more of his father Cecilio Juntera’s acreage in Wiscasset and get Maine brewers using more Maine-grown hops.

The largely imported beer ingredient represents an opportunity for Maine farmers, Christopher Juntera, of Topsham, said before the start of Monday night’s planning board meeting.

He was proposing a one-acre hop farm at 16 Wood Lane; the project will include a pump house to extract water to irrigate the hop yard, he said.

The board took about two minutes to approve the plan and inform Juntera he needs to see the code enforcement officer for a permit.

Some board members wondered why they needed to review the project.

Town rules called for the review because the project involves agricultural and commercial use of the property, Town Planner Ben Averill explained in a memo to the board.

Chairman Ray Soule noted he spent an hour and a half looking through town rules and found very little on agriculture for the board to go by.

Member Karl Olson told Soule the board could ask selectmen to have the Ordinance Review Committee (ORC) look into possible revisions. Olson chairs the ORC.

Member Deb Pooler wished Juntera good luck on the project.

He would like to start an association with other farmers who are getting into hops, he said before the meeting.

ORC update

The ORC still needs a new member to take over Larry Lomison’s seat, members said earlier Monday night. Lomison is moving to Colorado; he might be able to keep serving into May, he said Monday.

The Future Land Use Plan the panel drafted will likely be ready for a fall 2016 town vote, Olson said. He will be working on the map that goes with it, he said.