Whately Planning Board recommends Houston, reelects Cheikes as chair
Whately Planning Board recommends new member, advances battery storage tiers ahead of March hearing.
Planning Board · Meeting of January 27, 2026
Whately Planning Board recommends new member, advances battery storage tiers ahead of March hearing. Chair Brant Cheikes and Vice Chair JD Ross were reelected by unanimous voice vote, and the board voted to recommend retired Florida real estate broker Mike Houston, who reported more than $250 million in career home sales including a single $9 million deal, to the town moderator for appointment to a board vacancy. Cheikes said the board's draft battery storage bylaw sets a 250 kilowatt-hour threshold for unregulated systems, a 10 megawatt-hour ceiling for site-plan-only review, and 100-foot setbacks for larger installations, with new state rules taking effect March 1.
He also disclosed the board has never formally adopted its own rules and regulations, unlike the Zoning Board of Appeals, and is targeting a February vote after Community Development Administrator Caroline Gurek produced a first draft. "It doesn't seem like an overly large commitment," Houston told the board.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 896 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of January 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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