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Hampden planning board debates limits on large battery storage, asks staff to seek legal guidance
Summary
Members discussed whether limiting tier 3–4 battery energy storage systems (BESS) to limited‑industrial zones would pass Attorney General review, raised public‑safety and siting concerns, and asked staff to supply zoning maps and legal input.
The Town of Hampden Planning Board spent part of its meeting reviewing language in a proposed bylaw that would regulate battery energy storage systems (BESS), focusing on whether restricting larger systems (tier 3 and tier 4) to limited‑industrial zones would satisfy state review and protect residents.
Board members said town staff will send the board’s zoning map and the draft bylaw to the Attorney General’s office to determine whether a restriction that confines larger BESS to limited‑industrial land would pass constitutional and…
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