Tuesday, Rochester’s Planning Board reviewed, without a definitive resolution, a plan to place new utility poles and lines on Robinson Road just as residents complain about how that plan has changed.
Joseph Harrison of ReWild, representing Cushman Solar LLC, explained to the board that the work is part of Eversource substation upgrades to connect utility power to the Cushman Road solar array. The current proposal, he said, is to eliminate original plans of four new poles on Robinson Road in favor of underground utilities and placing the Eversource meter and transformer on a five-by-five foot-pad. Basically, under a large manhole in the road at the solar array panel. He said this is a more expensive option, but it would eliminate the need to remove trees on Robinson Road.
8 Robinson Road resident Christine Hutchins and neighbor Julie Koczera, who have granted easements for that new utility infrastructure across their properties, said the new plan will disturb their neighborhood with narrow rights of way between poles for vehicles, and the construction may even cause safety concerns.
Koczera voiced concern that the change to underground utilities will create a different space for vehicles to enter and exit her property as well as safety concerns when construction begins. “How wide will my right of way become?” she asked. “How will emergency vehicles reach my house if there is a construction trench there?”
Kim Ryan of 9 Robinson said this part of the street floods out easily and asked how the design will guard against that.
Board chair Arnold Johnson said the developer is bound by the terms of the permit that was granted to maintain the appropriate standards to keep the site in good shape. He admitted the work will be less than 100 percent convenient for the affected residents; but the town has no ability to tell Eversource how to design its work as it sees fit, he said.
Johnson suggested that Hutchins and Koczera work with ReWild on these details. Harrison said the company’s next meeting with Eversource will be Friday, October 25. Koczera asked to join the Zoom call for that meeting.
Johnson said more details of this plan will be discussed at the board’s next meeting in November.
In other action, the board approved the Field Engineering service agreement for the preliminary subdivision plan on 28 acres at 386 Snipatuit Road. The proposal would add two new homes to a parcel with an existing dwelling unit. The board began Tuesday’s meeting with a review of this proposal. Johnson told project representative Rick Charron that the board formulate conditions for the permit for the board’s next meeting.
The board re-opened the public hearing on the bylaw amendments that were approved at the spring 2024 town meeting. Johnson explained the board had violated (by one day) the mandate that the public notice for scheduling the hearing for these articles last spring be posted for 14 days. The board merely had to re-post and re-advertise to do it correctly, per mandate. No further town meeting action will be necessary.
The new bylaw sections were on large-scale solar voltaic installations and the ground-mounted solar voltaic installations, protection of ‘historical resources,’ agricultural-residential district back lots, lot dimensions, and access to lot changes.
The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Planning Board
by Michael J. DeCicco