Whately Planning Board Opens Hearing on 20-Acre Boyden Farm Solar Proposal
Whately Planning Board opens public hearing on a proposed 4.99-megawatt dual-use solar farm on Boyden Farm land along Route 116.
Planning Board · Meeting of May 5, 2026
Whately Planning Board opens public hearing on a proposed 4.99-megawatt dual-use solar farm on Boyden Farm land along Route 116. Board Chairman George Forcier convened the session as engineers from Weston and Sampson, hired by applicant Blue Wave Solar, operating as Roaring Brook Solar LLC, presented plans for a roughly 20-acre single-axis tracker array to be mounted 10 feet above ground with cattle grazing and haying planned beneath the panels. Blue Wave representatives were absent, drawing pointed criticism from several residents; a fire protection engineer is expected at the May 19 continuation.
Selectperson and school committee member Elaine Campbell warned that the array's proximity to the grammar school could hurt school-choice enrollment, which she called essential to the school's financial survival. Resident Devlin Feldman and abutter Jerry LeBlanc described years of noise, dirty electricity, and enforcement failures at a nearby solar installation, with LeBlanc urging the board to build "teeth" into any permit conditions. The board recessed the hearing to May 19.
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- The complete report, 879 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of May 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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