The Mattapoisett Planning Board has begun in earnest to draft a bylaw that would regulate the construction of large solar arrays in Mattapoisett. The undertaking will prove to be no small task indeed, with a plethora of material to wade through from state and federal agencies as well as reviewing bylaws already in place in surrounding towns.
Taking the lead at this point in time is Planning Board member Janice Robbins. During the March 2 meeting, the board members discussed Robbins’ first-round draft.
Robbins posed a number of questions to her fellow board members such as acreage requirements, what kilowatt measurement should be employed as the standard for Planning Board oversight, and what exactly should the board be regulating.
Board member and acting chairman Nathan Ketchel thought any array 25 kilowatt and greater might be the benchmark for local bylaw regulation. When Robbins raised concerns regarding how the electrical connections and systems should be monitored in the field, Ketchel assured her that such matters were under the control of the utility partnering with the developer.
Regarding the possibility of future modifications to an existing array such as battery storage units onsite, Ketchel said that the National Fire Protection Association was currently writing standards but that if an existing array wanted to utilize battery storage for energy produced from solar panels, such a change should be regulated by the Planning Board. “They’ll have to come back to us,” he said.
Robbins also inquired as to whether or not there should be restrictions on where solar-array development could take place. “Do we limit where they can be installed?”
Further discussion on this matter produced responses that due to the size of a 25 kW and greater array there was no likelihood that the village district would be impacted. Scenic ways were also mentioned, but Robbins thought that a 75-foot setback might be sufficient.
The board is attempting to have a bylaw prepared in time for May Town Meeting. Before that, an April public hearing will need to be scheduled, said Mary Crain, Planning Board secretary.
In other business, the board approved a Form A Approval Not Required Application for conveyance of property located at 16 Prospect Road to the Mattapoisett Land Trust. Also approved was an ANR filed by David Nicholosi located at 0 Marion Road adjacent to Chapel Road.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled by March 16 at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.
Mattapoisett Planning Board
By Marilou Newell