GRANVILLE – A public hearing, continued from October, will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Granville Town Hall for the proposed large-scale ground mounted solar installation on 44 acres at 0 Hayes Rd., property owned by Charles Sheets.
Gale Head Development of Boston, who is representing Sheets for the project, is using 25 of the acres to build the solar array.
According to information from Gale Head, the project site will be 2,300 ft. from the public road, which is Rt. 57., Main Road. There’s also no direct residential abutters and the nearest residential dwelling is 1,000 ft. away.
The Granville Planning Board is seen listening to Gale Head’s presentation at a public hearing in October. (WNG File Photo)
The plan also indicates that, along with there being no public site lines, there will also be no natural resources that will require mitigation from the solar array.
Gale Head is proposing this project under the SMART (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target) Program, which was created by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker in 2016. The SMART Program was formed to create a long term and sustainable solar incentive program that promotes solar projects that are cost effective throughout Massachusetts.
When this state program came to fruition, Granville decided to pursue the program and allow development organizations to propose solar projects in town. Planning Board Chairman Rich Pierce added that Granville will now have the opportunity to receive credits towards grants.
Since the Granville town bylaw restricts solar projects larger than five acres, Gale Head has already gone to the Zoning Board of Appeals and were given a variance to go to the Planning Board for a special permit.
In October, Gale Head had two public hearings with the Planning Board and the board decided that there was more information that needed to be provided before making a decision whether to approve their request or not.
Michael Petrin, an engineer for VHB and hired by the Town of Granville to consult on projects, informed the Planning Board that more information is needed, on both the individual contractors for the project, and also what Eversource is requiring, in order to move forward. There are also some legal opinions to be made from town counsel.
If Gale Head tidies up the questions to be answered, the Planning Board expects to move forward.
“I would say we’re going to be prepared to make a decision. They’ve been completely up front on what they need to do,” said Pierce. “It’s just getting the details squared away.”
