By Adam Swift
The proposed battery energy storage facility on Eastern Avenue will not have to go before the planning board for another public hearing on a change to its site plan.
At last week’s regular meeting, the planning board voted that the proposed changes to the site plan for the Energizer Storage facility constitute a minor modification to the original plan. Early in February, the zoning board of appeals likewise determined that there it would not need to open up a new public hearing on previously granted special permits.
Much of the conversation at the Feb. 24 planning board meeting concerned the proposed wall that will surround the facility, with Energizer officials providing several options for a 20-foot wall on Eastern Avenue and Willoughby Street after board members raised concerns about the initial plans for the wall at a previous meeting.
Flatiron Energy owns and operates the energy storage systems it develops. The original plan was to construct a two-story building on the property at 284 Eastern Ave. for the energy storage unit.
Instead of building one two-story building, however, the battery storage units will be over 120 individual storage units on the property.
The company has agreed to a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) and community-host agreements for the project with the city.
The property itself is about 3.7 acres and includes Willoughby Street, which will be the main access point to the project.
The property is also adjacent to the Eversource Chelsea electrical substation and Flatiron will be able to tie into the electrical grid.
Flatiron project manager Hunter Prange has said the new plan will allow the facility to get online faster and provide benefits to the city.
“Over the last month, the team has been hard at work taking in feedback not only from the board here, but the zoning board as well and other stakeholders in the city,” said Prange. “We feel that today, we have come up with a few options based on the feedback that we feel are presentable. These are proposed options, and should not be the final, obviously, with the conditions of the zoning board we will be coming and presenting the design again.”
The majority of the zoning board members said they preferred the lattice wall approach for both Eastern Avenue and Willoughby Street. For security purposes, Prange said there will be a rotating chain link fence on the top of the wall.
The Flatiron team had initially proposed a mural for the Eastern Avenue side of the wall, but zoning board member Sarah Ritch said she would rather have a less noticeable look to the fencing.
Planning Board chair Regina Taylor said she considered it a substantial change for how the project will look, but a much less substantial change for what was required of the board.