Shelburne, ZBA hearing hearing postponed

Shelburne residents have a chance to challenge the 8-turbine commercial wind project planned for Mount Massaemet. In fact, the hearing on 11/17/11 before the Zoning Board of Appeals could  be their only opportunity. The 420-foot-tall 2.5 megawatt turbines will bring an industrial landscape to overlook the picturesque setting for this small town of almost 2000 people.

Will the ZBA issue a special permit for a project that town residents seem unaware of? The town has a 35-foot height restriction for structures.  The area where turbines will be sited is zoned residential/agricultural rather than industrial. Diane Broncaccio, reporting for The Recorder, quotes ZBA member Theodore Merrill as saying in August, “It’s very clear that this project doesn’t even come close to meeting our zoning.”

Check with the Shelburne town offices to confirm the location, as conflicting meeting sites have been posted. If the ZBA meeting is held in the Shelburne Buckland Elementary School at 7:30 pm it will overlap with a special town meeting scheduled for 7:00 pm on the same night at the same location. The school is located at 75 Mechanic St. in Shelburne Falls, MA.

Frederick Field Jr. is the private developer of the Mount Massaemet Windfarm, Inc.