Planning board to hold public hearing on Pittsfield solar ordinance after debate over industrial-park moratorium

The Pittsfield Planning Board voted to set a public hearing on proposed amendments to Chapter 13 that would regulate solar installations, after members and a resident disputed whether a recent moratorium properly applied to projects already in the permitting process.

A planning staff member said the draft ordinance includes provisions on height, setbacks, fencing and signage and showed how the rules would apply in the town's C4 district. "...we'll be setting this to public," the staff member said as the board moved to advance the draft to a hearing.

The draft sets a 15-foot height limit for certain ground-mounted arrays and uses an 800-square-foot threshold for residential arrays; staff said electrical permitting for rooftop systems is handled by the state. Board members asked whether the 15-foot limit would capture panel mounts or ancillary structures tied to utility poles and whether "utility-scale" should be defined by a megawatt threshold; one member said the practical dividing line often sits in the multi-megawatt range.

Sean, who said he works with Haley Ward and is a Pittsfield resident, told the board an applicant had prepared plans and bought property in the industrial park after preliminary discussions with town staff and the planning board, then learned the town had imposed a moratorium on solar. "I don't think that's really fair to applicants that come in and already go through the process, get in front of the board then all of a sudden have that pulled out from under him," he said, urging the board to reconsider blanket exclusions for industrial parcels.

Board members and staff discussed how the draft would treat grid-exporting (utility-scale) systems, including whether large rooftop or ground-mounted projects that export energy to the grid would be allowed in the industrial zone. One member noted large solar projects have been sited in industrial parks elsewhere but said visual screening and decommissioning are recurring concerns; staff pointed out that solar projects typically include decommissioning obligations to remove equipment if a project fails, which differs from the permanence of a building.

Members agreed to consult the regional planning entity, town counsel and the town manager and to consider revising the draft so it does not categorically bar industrial-park solar without further analysis. A motion to proceed to a public hearing on the Chapter 13 amendment passed after a second, with the board voting "all in favor." The board instructed staff to post hearing notices and finalize the hearing date and legal notices.

Next steps: the planning board will publish the public hearing date and receive public comment; staff said they will return with any recommended language changes after consulting counsel and regional planners.