Southampton Planning Board Reviews Draft Battery Energy Storage Bylaw, Targets Fall Town Meeting Vote

SOUTHAMPTON -- May 20, 2026, Southampton Planning Board reviews 18-page battery energy storage bylaw draft, targets fall town meeting. Consultant Richard Harris presented the draft at the May 20 meeting, drawing on the state Department of Energy Resources model bylaw, public comment, and the town of Blandford's enacted ordinance. The document establishes four tiers of battery energy storage systems by capacity, maps them onto Southampton's six zoning districts, and sets standards for setbacks, noise, fire safety, and decommissioning. The board flagged three unresolved issues: a proposed 150-foot setback from wells and septic systems that members said would effectively prohibit home battery installations on most residential lots, a noise ceiling of 60 decibels at the property line that members called excessively permissive for residential neighbors, and a blanket prohibition on storage systems within the water supply protection overlay district that Harris warned the Attorney General's office might reject. Harris agreed to narrow the well and septic setback to Tiers 2, 3, and 4 only, and said he would post a revised draft online for public comment before a July board session, with a public hearing targeted for August.