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Planning board urges narrow interim limits on large battery storage as state fast‑tracks siting
Summary
The Millis Planning Board asked the Finance Committee to place interim definitions for battery energy storage in the zoning bylaws (Article 17) so large tier‑2 and tier‑3 systems are limited to industrial areas while a fuller bylaw is developed; the committee recommended the article.
Nicole Riley, chair of the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee and a Planning Board member, told the Millis Finance Committee on April 15 that Article 17 is intended as a first step to add definitions and two columns to the use table so battery energy storage systems are placed where the town can manage them. "Battery energy storage systems are a new big plug for the state of Massachusetts" she said, adding the state has created a streamlined permitting pathway that could otherwise allow siting in places the town does not want.
Why it matters: Riley said the state adopts tiered definitions (tier 1, 2 and 3) based on size. She and the Planning Board recommend allowing tier 1 — household or rooftop‑scale systems — broadly while restricting larger tier‑2 and tier‑3 systems to the town's industrial zones by…
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