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Hubbardston planner: AG places hold on battery storage bylaw; consultants to present sandpit overlay scenarios Oct. 16
Summary
Town planner Alec told the Hubbardston Planning Board that the state attorney general has placed a hold on Article 26 (a battery energy storage bylaw) while approving nearby articles; the planner also described revised DLTA work with MRPC and an important consultant presentation on a sandpit overlay scheduled for the board's Oct. 16 meeting.
The Hubbardston Planning Board heard an update from town planner Alec on Oct. 1 that the Massachusetts attorney general has approved Annual Town Meeting Articles 27 through 29 but has placed a hold on Article 26, the proposed battery energy storage bylaw.
Alec, the town planner, told the board that a hold does not mean a denial but indicates the attorney general is requesting revisions or further information and will likely use the full 90-day review period. “Article 26 was your, battery energy storage by law,” Alec said, and he told the board he expects the attorney general's office to take the full 90 days and that the town granted the office's requested extension.
The planner said staff have also been contacted by MRPC and DOER about the bylaw and that he will follow up with those agencies. He reported ongoing work with MRPC on two DLTA projects; staff and MRPC have revised the scope of at least one project to reduce potential overlap between a proposed commercial-district revision and a sandpit overlay project. That revision refocuses part of the commercial-district work as a GIS exercise to identify natural boundaries before zoning language is drafted.
Alec said he now has weekly meetings scheduled with two MRPC planners through October to fine-tune scopes and that the revised DLTA scope budgets for at least two meetings with the Planning Board. He also said he is preparing a short case study of a successful public engagement method used in another town and will share it with the board.
Separately, the board was told that the engineering consultant for the sandpit overlay project (identified in the packet as the niche engineering team) has developed a series of scenarios based on the public forum and survey responses. The consultant will present a range of alternatives at the Planning Board's next meeting, described by staff as a working session to help the board narrow options before any formal public hearing or bylaw language is drafted. The planner asked the board to review materials the consultant will provide at least one week in advance.
Why it matters: the attorney general's hold delays final adoption of the battery storage bylaw and could require substantive edits. The sandpit overlay work and the revised commercial-district scope are preparatory steps that will shape what the town ultimately proposes to voters at a later hearing or Town Meeting.
Board members discussed how important the upcoming consultant presentation will be for framing the overlay options and asked staff to circulate materials in advance so members can provide focused feedback. The planner emphasized that zoning or bylaw language would return to the board for formal public hearing and eventual action at Town Meeting.
Ending: The board will take the consultant's presentation as a working session at its Oct. 16 meeting; the planner will report back on any communication from MRPC or DOER about Article 26 when new information is available.
