Worthington Planning Board Unanimously Approves Site Plan Review Bylaw Amendment

WORTHINGTON -- January 22, 2026, Worthington Planning Board unanimously advances site plan bylaw change, digs into contested solar review. The board voted 5-0 at its January 22 meeting to approve a site plan review bylaw amendment covering Section 2.6.7, parts A through D, with members agreeing to develop additional language addressing accessory dwelling units before the next town meeting. The bulk of the session focused on the large-scale solar application for 190 Ridge Road, where the board is coordinating peer-review work by PARE Corporation of Rhode Island and Hallam-ICS, paid for by applicant Blue Wave Solar, though the contract has not yet been signed by the town's chief procurement officer. Members flagged that Blue Wave has provided only a declaration page of its $10 million umbrella insurance policy, with $1 million per-occurrence limits, and that pollution is typically excluded from such coverage without a rider. The next public hearing is set for February 11, with a separate board meeting on moratorium language and an initial engineer conversation scheduled for January 29.