Lee Planning Board Rewrites Clean Energy Zoning Rules
Planning Board · Meeting of September 10, 2026
Lee Planning Board races to rewrite clean energy zoning before an Oct. 1 state deadline. Land Use Department staffer Brooke told the board that Massachusetts released its model battery storage bylaw just two weeks before the meeting, forcing a rushed rewrite ahead of the Select Board's Tuesday warrant signing for an October 1 special town meeting. The draft converts Lee's acreage-based solar table to a megawatt-hour system matching the state's, sends projects above 100 megawatt-hours to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, and adds wind turbine financial-surety and wildlife-fencing requirements.
"If we did adhere to our bylaws and did not allow a BEST project...come through, we then would not be adhering to the regulations given to us by the state," Brooke said. Planning Board member Peter called the underlying draft "a chopped salad" of scattered provisions. No formal votes were taken.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,200 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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