Conservation Commission delays vote on Borrego Solar Fields

Mar 18, 2021

The Conservation Commission delayed a vote on the controversial Borrego Solar Farm proposed for A.D. Makepeace property at their March 17 meeting, just over a week after the Planning Board did the same.

The project, set to be located at 140 Tihonet Road, is one of three large arrays planned for land owned by A.D. Makepeace. The three projects total roughly 180 acres in size.

Environmental activists have spoken out fiercely against the project, arguing that it will destroy acres of rare and fragile habitat and create stormwater runoff issues that will increase pollution in nearby bodies of water.

There is another level of confusion, as some parties have proposed that the land should be purchased to be preserved through Chapter 61A right of first refusal. Chapter 61A is an agricultural classification that allows land to be taxed at a lower rate. If a property owner wants to sell land classified this way, the town is given the right of first refusal to buy the property.

The plans for the site include removing more than one million cubic yards of sand and gravel to grade the slope. It is unclear where that material would be taken, but if it is to be removed from Wareham, the project is required to get an earth removal permit from the Board of Selectmen and pay the town 25 cents per cubic yard removed.

A.D. Makepeace and Borrego have not obtained earth removal permits from the Selectmen.

The Conservation Commission decided to wait to issue a ruling on the project until after the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen decide.