Planning Board

The meeting opened with officer elections and proceeded to several continued hearings and administrative items. The Board discussed Bill 2024-096, an ordinance amendment addressing the Renewable Energy Development Overlay District (REDD) and related performance standards; staff explained constraints imposed by the Dover Amendment that limit local discretion over solar facilities and noted the draft was revised to apply performance standards citywide without a map change. There was substantial public concern about the Meadowbrook solar proposal’s potential impacts on Lake Attitash and Meadowbrook Pond, emphasizing stormwater runoff, phosphorus loading, solar glare, property values, habitat loss, decommissioning, and protection of the city’s secondary drinking water supply. Staff and Board acknowledged those concerns while noting legal limits on prohibiting solar and the need for evidence-based mitigation measures and third-party monitoring.

The Board conducted a completeness check for the Meadowbrook site plan and special permit application and determined the submission met minimum requirements with conditions and specified waivers (including alternate approaches for the tree survey, clarification of the proposed access drive, lighting details, and resolution of open space/public access). The Board requested additional technical reports under XI.C.6a-c (stormwater/pollution, soils, and ecological impacts), authorized staff to identify peer review consultants for battery storage, stormwater, and ecological reviews, and scheduled a public hearing for February 10, 2025 to advance review of the Meadowbrook project. Other items included continuing several hearings to future meetings and a brief update on the Master Plan 2030 progress.