Worthington Planning Board Tables Solar Zoning Freeze Plans, Takes No Votes

WORTHINGTON -- March 4, 2020, Worthington Planning Board spent more than three hours on the stalled 190 Ridge Road solar and battery storage review without casting a single formal vote. The board agreed by consensus to table two preliminary subdivision plan filings from solar developer Blue Wave, covering 190 Ridge Road and 105 Old Post Road, after a Blue Wave representative explained by phone that the filings were designed solely to freeze existing zoning under Massachusetts law, not to create actual subdivisions. Fire Chief Mike delivered a detailed NFPA 855-based safety analysis and called on Blue Wave to identify at least three candidate battery chemistries so fire risks, suppression requirements, and containment needs can be assessed; he is also pursuing contact with the state Department of Fire Services, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The board discovered mid-meeting that Worthington has never adopted the Mullin Rule, meaning any member who misses a single session of the Ridge Road public hearing is barred from voting on the final decision, a gap the chair said he would raise with town counsel and potentially address through a town meeting warrant article. The next public hearing session is scheduled for March 26 at 6:30 p.m.