Mamaroneck consultant urges three‑tier rules for battery storage; trustees extend moratorium to Aug. 1

A consultant told the Village of Mamaroneck Board of Trustees on April 14 that a three‑tier regulatory approach would better protect the village from safety and flood risks posed by large battery energy storage systems, and trustees voted to extend the village’s temporary moratorium on new systems until Aug. 1, 2025.

Alicia Moore of AKRF summarized the firm’s findings and recommendations, saying BESS installations can support grid reliability and emergency backup but “pose unique land‑use and safety challenges, particularly in densely built flood‑prone areas like this.” AKRF proposed distinguishing small residential systems from mid‑scale commercial uses and prohibiting large utility‑scale facilities in the village.

The consultant said thermal runaway, off‑gassing and the potential for reignition make firefighting and containment difficult and recommended several local controls: limits on system size, minimum setbacks from habitable structures and dense vegetation, hardwired alarms tied to 24‑hour monitoring, clear signage with system specifications and emergency contacts, an emergency operations plan filed with first responders, and a required decommissioning plan and bond to guarantee safe removal.

“Because these fires are different, training and equipment matters,” Moore said during the presentation. She also suggested the village consider a safety fee for permit applications to help fund equipment and firefighter training.

On capacity thresholds, AKRF proposed a three‑tier scheme adapted from NYSERDA guidance: keep very small residential systems subject to administrative review, require site‑plan review and planning‑board approval for mid‑sized systems, and prohibit systems above the largest threshold (AKRF noted NYSERDA’s 600 kilowatt‑hour dividing line and recommended a village‑specific middle tier so that systems roughly between 80 and 600 kWh would get more rigorous review).

Trustees pressed the consultant on how the village’s rules would differ from the state guidance and asked for more detail about how a safety fee would be calculated. One trustee asked whether existing systems would be grandfathered; Moore said legally approved installations would remain in place.

After the presentation and public hearing, the board voted to adopt PLLK, a local law extending the current BESS moratorium, to Aug. 1, 2025 so staff and the consultant can draft implementing legislation. Trustee remarks emphasized the moratorium’s purpose: to allow time for drafting enforceable code language and technical review rather than to ban small, already established household systems.

The board asked staff to bring a draft law to the May 12 work session and invited the building inspector and the fire chief to participate in the next phase of drafting and public outreach.

What happens next: the village will review the draft local law in public meetings; the moratorium will remain in effect until the law is adopted or extended further if additional time is needed.