Sep. 30--NORTH ADAMS -- A Lowe's home improvement store is still in the works for the defunct North Adams Plaza on Curran Highway, but the state won't rule on whether or not the store's plans are "green" enough until the end of October.

In August, state Secretary of Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles said the 700-page environmental impact report filed on behalf of Lowe's didn't pass the state's newly instated Greenhouse Gas Emissions Policy's litmus test.

On Sept. 24, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., an engineering-design firm that is working for Lowe's, submitted a supplemental environmental impact report for the project.

"The public comment period ends on Oct. 24, and the secretary is expected to issue a certificate on Oct. 31 stating whether or not the plans are adequate or not," Lisa Capone, environmental affairs spokeswoman, said Monday.

Lauren DeVoe, an environmental planner in charge of the report for Vanesse Hangen Brustlin Inc. of Watertown, declined on Monday to comment on the group's supplemental report, which is available only by going to state offices in Boston or by request from DeVoe (write to her at Vanesse Hangen Brustlin Inc., 101 Walnut St., Watertown MA 02471).

In August, the design firm had expected a certificate of compliance to be issued through the MEPA (Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act) process. Instead, Bowles called for the supplemental report. He asked many questions, including

why the company would not consider installing a photovoltaic (solar-powered) system that would cost between $350,000 and $450,000 and how it proposed to offset the emissions caused by 3,000 additional weekly car trips expected when the store opens at the former North Adams Plaza.

At that time, Devoe said the bulk of the problems stemmed from air quality issues.

"The policy is relatively new, and the law is still evolving," she said in August. "We have received different comments from numerous offices. The law is still a moving target with what the state is looking for from projects like this."

She would not comment on what changes Lowe's has made in the project since Bowles' ruling.

Lowe's plans to demolish the existing strip mall at the plaza, which once housed Gringo's, North Adams Cinema and at one time a Price Chopper, to build a free-standing 126,501-square-foot home improvement store with an attached 28,600-square-foot garden center. A proposed 3,600-square-foot bank building, near the abutting Bounti-Fare restaurant, also is included in the plans.