Plympton Planning Board Continues Phase 3 Solar Hearing to September 16

PLYMPTON — September 2, 2025 — Plympton Planning Board continues Zero Brook Street Phase 3 solar hearing amid stormwater discharge and enforcement debate. The board voted unanimously September 2 to continue the public hearing to September 16 after project engineer Zachary Barkas presented a revised plan set dated August 27, responding to a 36-item peer review by the board's outside engineer, John Chessie; among the revisions are expansion and repair of a failing stormwater basin on the existing Phase 1 and Phase 2 access road corridor and construction of a new swale with armoring to intercept road runoff. A neighboring property owner, whose spring-fed private reservoir lies approximately 300 feet south of the project, pressed the board on whether two of the three proposed basins still discharge toward her land during overflow events — which Barkas acknowledged is driven by gravity — and asked what enforcement tools would ensure long-term maintenance. The board discussed requiring a passbook savings bond held by the town and an annual photographic inspection report of all basins, but adopted no formal conditions. The system is designed to retain runoff from a 100-year storm, defined in this area as 7.6 inches of rainfall over 24 hours. The board chair noted plainly that the town has no planning staff to monitor compliance independently.