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.