Planning board recommends special permit and site plan conditions for energy storage project at 284 Eastern Ave

The Chelsea Planning Board voted to recommend a special permit and approved site plan conditions for an energy storage facility proposed for 284 Eastern Avenue.

Petitioner representatives Jonathan Poor and Brett Cullen told the board that Burns & McDonnell and Fire Risk Alliance prepared the project’s building designs and emergency response plan, and that Jensen Hughes completed the city’s peer review with only minimal comments the team said it will address before the zoning board. "These plans are really meant to be evergreen," Poor said, describing ongoing updates to training and emergency procedures.

Why it matters: the project uses large battery systems and several board members pressed the applicant on fire safety, gas and smoke modeling, and community impacts. A board member asked about recent high‑profile incidents and said, "there have been issues with fires that burn for up to 2 weeks in different parts around the country," prompting the applicants to describe design choices and the use of the latest NFPA and UL guidance, plume and dispersion modeling provided to the fire department, and an emergency response and hazard mitigation analysis prepared with their consultants.

Supporting details: Petitioners said battery racks the project would install are expected to have about a 20‑year operating life and that manufacturers have recycling and take‑back processes for failed cells; the project will include a decommissioning plan that requires removal of battery cells at end of life. The team described site controls including a gated, fenced facility with card access, commitments to work with the police chief on security, and an intent to finalize landscaping with the community and Landing Studio to reduce the building’s visual massing. Staff and the board required a white roof, an exterior lighting plan meeting dark‑sky standards, a design‑review condition, and a copy of the decommissioning plan for city records.

Board action and next steps: The board made and seconded a motion to recommend the special permit and subsequently approved site plan review with standing conditions and the additional requirements listed by planning staff. According to the presentation, the project team expects a host community agreement to reach city council in the next week or two, will submit to the conservation committee in October, and has an option to purchase the Eastern Avenue property that the team said must be exercised in the first week of December.

The board recorded its approval by voice vote; staff will track submittals required by the conditions the board enumerated.