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Falmouth Planning Board accepts Eversource interconnection and continues Boxberry Hill solar hearing
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Summary
After extensive review of safety, restoration, traffic and interconnection details, the Falmouth Planning Board voted to accept the applicant's Eversource interconnection agreement (including eight new utility poles along the described route), recorded multiple conditions to be refined, and continued final action on the ASC Cape Cod Holdings LLC large-scale solar project to April 14.
The Falmouth Planning Board conducted a lengthy review of ASC Cape Cod Holdings LLC's proposal for large-scale, ground-mounted solar arrays with battery storage on parcels along Boxberry Hill Road and related streets. Attorney Matt Terry, project engineers and multiple consultants presented the project and addressed board questions about scope, safety, mitigation and community benefits.
Project scope and justifications: Matt Terry and project consultants described arrays at multiple parcels with supporting infrastructure, on-site battery storage, pollinator meadows, and a restoration plan required by the Cape Cod Commission (finding F28) that calls for planting 650 trees (232 within protected open space) and thousands of shrubs and meadow establishment. The applicant said most basins are dry detention basins and that only one depression near a vernal pool may pond temporarily for wildlife access. "This property has been a hotel since the 1950s... we believe the project meets the criteria for site plan review and for the special permit," an applicant representative said when summarizing prior approvals and precedent.
Safety and construction conditions: Board members pressed for protections on battery sites (alarm/strobe systems and signage), fencing for retention basins only as needed to address public-safety concerns, and removal/testing of irrigation components if hazardous materials are encountered. The applicant agreed to provide an emergency action plan, to coordinate signage with the fire department, and to remove irrigation components in accordance with applicable law and to test if suspect materials are found.
Interconnection and utility routing dispute: A major point of contention was whether eight new utility poles planned off-site to extend 3-phase service should be installed as shown in the Eversource interconnection agreement or be required to be undergrounded. Pure Sky Energy's Lawrence Cook said there are no new poles within the fenced project perimeter but that eight new poles would extend from the service corner; he described an executed interconnection agreement with Eversource and said the distribution-impact study contains the routing details. Board members expressed concern about visual impacts and tree removal if underground trenching were required. After discussion, a motion to accept the interconnection agreement as negotiated with Eversource was moved and approved by the voting board members.
Community benefits and programmatic commitments: The applicant described potential offtake and community-shared-solar options under state DOER programs: dedicating 15% of output to low-income residents (100% energy credits), allocating 35% of output to local residents and businesses at discounts, and leaving 50% for anchor offtakers such as the town. Applicants said program details are in writing and still under negotiation with Town staff; the board concluded such financial programs are better recorded in findings and supplementary agreements (ground lease, pilot, donation or decommissioning agreements) rather than imposed as strict planning-condition obligations, given the potential for DOER rule changes.
Restoration and decommissioning: The applicant agreed to provide a plant list and sizes prior to commencement and to include a decommissioning bond and schedule of removal in ground-lease and decommissioning agreements. Board members asked for quantified tree types and caliper sizes in the plan sets; applicant said nursery availability will dictate final sizes but confirmed an upfront planting schedule will be provided prior to work.
Traffic and construction access: The parties discussed practical routing for construction to limit neighborhood disruption; the applicant will work with staff on a rewritten construction-access condition and a traffic-management plan that may be finalized before building permits are issued.
Outcome and next steps: The board voted to accept the Eversource interconnection agreement as presented and to continue the hearing to April 14 so staff and the applicant can refine conditions (tree-caliper schedules, traffic-management language, emergency-action details and documentation such as any available impact study). "All in favor? Aye," the chair recorded after the vote.
The board instructed the applicant to supply available interconnection/impact-study documentation (subject to public-record limits) and to provide additional detail on restoration plantings and signage/emergency coordination with the fire department before the next hearing.
