Pepperell Planning Board closes solar bylaw hearing, targets fall Town Meeting

PEPPERELL — August 12, 2019 — Pepperell Planning Board advances solar zoning bylaw toward fall Town Meeting after unanimous hearing closure. The board closed its public hearing on the proposed solar energy zoning bylaw amendment on August 12, correcting a conflict between the bylaw text and the table of uses that had erroneously allowed large-scale ground-mounted systems in suburban residential districts, and revising the definition of "solar canopy" to remove language restricting it to "unsuitable" land. The board also agreed to add an explicit ownership-change notification requirement and to copy signage provisions from the large-scale section into the medium-scale section for consistency. Beth Batson, a town residential district resident who performs permitting for another municipality, urged the board to strengthen viewshed and noise standards for large arrays, though members noted those concerns are addressed through the special-permit review process and existing screening language. Staff will incorporate the changes, send the final draft to Town Counsel, and file it on the fall Town Meeting warrant; the board separately signed a $138.62 bill warrant covering the cost of the hearing advertisement.