Northfield heads back to drawing board on solar proposal

NORTHFIELD — After a series of public hearings in 2024, the Planning Board’s unanimous denial of a special permit and a Land Court decision annulling that denial, the Planning Board is once again reviewing a second proposed solar project on Pine Meadow Road.

The proposal by BlueWave Solar calls for a 4,316-panel solar array within a fenced-in area, and while the company currently does not have a farming contract executed, the proposal calls for a local partner to produce vegetables within the array. BlueWave had previously gained approval in 2021 to construct a three-array, 26,000-panel, 10.9-megawatt project on the same road.

According to Town Counsel Jeffrey Blake, Land Court nullified the Planning Board’s previous denial of a special permit, but the court is retaining jurisdiction, including over any further appeals that may be taken. The court ordered that the solar proposal be sent back to the Planning Board for a public hearing to reconsider the special permit application. According to court documents, the board was ordered to hold its public hearing no later than 60 days after the court’s May 5 decision.

“As we sit here right now, we have no decision,” Blake said. “[Land Court] said we did not provide sufficient evidence.”

In 2024, Planning Board members had cited a litany of reasons why they believed the project does not fit on the parcel. Members said the project poses a flooding hazard as it is in the Connecticut River’s floodplain, would decrease property values by ruining the view and does not align with the agricultural character of Pine Meadow Road because it would “stand out starkly in the rural setting,” among numerous other reasons.

At the time, Blake had noted the board might face an uphill court battle with its denial in the event that it was appealed, as Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 40A, Section 3 lays out strict zoning requirements preventing the prohibition or unreasonable regulation of solar energy systems — as well as educational or religious institutions — “except where necessary to protect the public health, safety or welfare.”

As the Planning Board takes up the topic again, Blake advised members on Monday that “in your conversations … you’re going to have to be [specific to floodplain issues].”

Tad Heuer, legal counsel for BlueWave Solar, said that in relation to the proposed solar array being located in a floodplain district, the supports that would hold the solar panels would be at least 8 feet deep in the ground. More than likely, he continued, they would be 14 feet deep and wouldn’t be affected by flood conditions, meaning the panels would stay firmly in the ground.

“The base of the equipment pad is above the [Federal Emergency Management Agency’s base] flood level elevation,” Heuer said. He added that even when the panels are at their steepest, meaning when they are tilted in a way that would be closest to the ground, “the pad is [still] above the FEMA base flood elevation. … This project has been designed so that the water has somewhere to go.”

Board members also heard from experts in civil engineering, including James Pearson of Weston & Sampson. In addition to concerns about the site being in the Connecticut River’s floodplain, worries about water releases by FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. were discussed on Monday, with Blake asking, “What happens when there’s a flood event and there needs to be a release from FirstLight?” Planning Board member Tori Luksha added that she didn’t believe the site was capable of handling debris.

Pearson said he expects any water that would make its way onto the proposed site would flood as “backwater or still water,” and he suggested that the proposed project area is “probably one of the better areas to do it … due to the topography.”

“If we’re concerned about velocity, which I don’t think we are, it’s a matter of engineering these things properly,” Pearson added. “In my review of FEMA’s conclusion from the 2024 map … I would expect deep floodwater. … It seems that at this particular site it would be more like a pond, not like a raging torrent.”

Northfield residents expressed many of the same concerns held by the Planning Board during Monday’s hearing. Resident John Buxton emphasized that attendees were “talking about people’s lives and property here.” He disagreed with the assertion that floodwater would simply pool at the site, and told the board to “just be careful with what you’re listening to. … We’re not talking about just slow water rising against the panels.”

“Let’s be the one to protect western [Massachusetts] and its people,” Buxton concluded.

Resident Alison Wahlstrom said FirstLight’s reservoir spillway “is located 800 feet from the site,” and that she has “personally watched the water level change by 5 feet in just a few hours.”

“We don’t even know if [Hull Street Energy] has looked at this,” Wahlstrom added, referencing the power-focused private equity investment firm that is looking to buy FirstLight’s United States properties, including the one in Northfield. “I ask that you review this … because the utilities can flood this land.”

“Flooding is becoming more frequent and damaging in this area,” echoed Stacy Bond, director of the Northfield Recreation Commission. “Renewable energy is important, but it should not come at the expense of … neighboring properties.”

The Planning Board did not make a new decision on the issuance of a special permit on Monday, with board members wanting to allow time for their own experts to examine all the provided information, and then time to send those findings to BlueWave and Heuer. A tentative meeting was scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m., though it may be pushed back to Thursday, Aug. 13, if BlueWave’s legal representation has not had enough time to analyze the memos from the Planning Board by Aug. 6.

“Nobody is talking about denial at this time. … This [meeting] is about learning,” Planning Board Chair Margaret “Meg” Riordan said. “We still have to collect some evidence … [as well as do] a lot of reading and some additional research.”