Worthington Planning Board Unanimously Backs Four Solar and Zoning Amendments

WORTHINGTON -- February 24, 2026, Worthington Planning Board unanimously recommends four zoning amendments targeting large-scale solar and battery storage at special town meeting. The board voted 4-0 on all four articles Tuesday evening, clearing them for a special town meeting that convened immediately after the hearing. The amendments include a citizen's petition moratorium, signed by 258 residents, barring any new permits for solar or battery installations above 600 kilowatts through June 30, 2027, as well as two Planning Board-drafted moratoriums restricting development in sensitive water and habitat areas covering 53 percent to 78 percent of town land. Town counsel Jeffrey Blake of KP Law warned that under the Broken Stone precedent, two already-filed preliminary subdivision plans, for 190 Ridge Road and 105 Old Post Road, are insulated from any moratorium passed that night, because a preliminary subdivision plan freezes zoning at the time of filing. The chair cautioned that the sweeping citizen's petition faces a high probability of rejection by the state Attorney General, citing the 2022 Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Tracer Lane v. City of Waltham.