Veer Inc. seeks 7‑month test site at 45 Industrial Parkway; council continues hearing amid noise and safety conditions

Attorney James Giuliano and Veer Inc. representatives presented plans to the Woburn City Council for a temporary, seven‑month research and development test at 45 Industrial Parkway that would use outdoor fenced areas to house enclosed trailers (generators), load banks and a liquid‑nitrogen skid to support superconducting‑transmission cable tests.

Veer’s head of business operations, JP Quasi, and head of engineering operations, Jason Miller, described the work and a tight schedule: generators and electrical installs in June, liquid‑nitrogen equipment and tank pad installation in July, low‑power operation beginning in August and full testing through September and October with a target conclusion by December. "Safety is first and foremost in our minds every day," Quasi said, detailing proposed fencing, noise mitigation and access controls.

Why it matters: The proposal would place noisy equipment, fuel and cryogenic materials in an industrial area adjacent to other industrial users including New Path, which Veer representatives said supports the petition with scheduling coordination. Councilors and staff emphasized public‑safety and nuisance risks — particularly noise during tank fills and generator runs — and sought enforceable conditions on hours and methods for liquid nitrogen deliveries and generator use.

Key discussion points and clarifications: Attorney Giuliano said the use is permitted in the IP zoning district but requires a special permit for outdoor accessory storage containers under the zoning ordinance (cited in the presentation as Section 5.1.0.57a). Giuliano and the Veer team confirmed they will submit a cryogenics ("cryo") permit to the fire department and will install crash barriers (bollards) and noise‑muffling barriers on the chain‑link fence. Miller provided measured noise expectations, noting liquid‑nitrogen equipment at about 50 dB (comparable to conversation) and generator test peaks that could be louder for short periods. Veer said it would not perform overnight nitrogen fills and would coordinate peak generator runs with New Path to minimize disruption; the company said it would limit regular operations to Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.

Process and action: The council opened and later continued the public hearing and referred the matter to the Committee on Special Permits; a motion to continue the hearing to the council’s June 17 meeting passed. Councilor DeMearns and others praised Veer’s pre‑application engagement and site visits; Councilor Dimambro said he would send the petition to committee with additional conditions expected to address delivery times and noise mitigation.

Clarifying details: Veer will occupy a 10,000‑square‑foot portion of an approximately 90,000‑square‑foot building and enclose roughly 7,500 square feet of outdoor fenced workspace. The outdoor enclosed area described in the presentation was approximately 16 feet by 72.5 feet for certain trailers; Giuliano said 21 existing parking spaces would be removed and 24 spaces added elsewhere on the site to replace lost capacity.

Next steps: The council continued the public hearing to June 17 and referred the petition to the Committee on Special Permits for drafting of conditions addressing noise limits, delivery scheduling, required permits (including the fire department cryo permit), traffic/parking revisions and security measures. No permit was granted at Tuesday’s meeting.