Planning Board advances BESS bylaw to counsel
Hatfield Planning Board voted to send a draft battery energy storage zoning bylaw to town counsel ahead of an April recommendation vote.
Planning Board · Meeting of March 4, 2026
Hatfield Planning Board voted to send a draft battery energy storage zoning bylaw to town counsel ahead of an April recommendation vote. Assistant Planner Isabella Yeager presented the five-tier permitting structure, warning the town would "lose our ability to have our own local control" if no bylaw passes before the state begins expediting large BESS permits in July. Member Douglas Finn said the state deadline to adopt a bylaw is "October 30th, not December 30th." The board closed the public hearing unanimously with no public comment, then voted 3-0 to forward the draft to counsel.
Separately, a resident questioned a special permit issued to a now-dissolved cannabis company, Straits Road LLC, which Finn said has expired. The board is requesting five more weekly hours for Yeager, raising her schedule toward 40 hours.
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Source: the Planning Board meeting of March 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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