Planning board schedules cell‑tower hearing, flags battery‑storage draft and permit documentation problems
May 07, 2026 | Easthampton, School Boards, Massachusetts
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The Southampton Planning Board announced a public hearing to consider a proposed cell tower from Atlantic Wireless and flagged other items for upcoming meetings while noting a recent building‑permit rejection due to incomplete documentation.
Chair Paul Deeman told the board the Atlantic Wireless application and its peer review materials are complete and that the board will open a public hearing on June 3. He also said the board will review a draft battery energy storage document at its May 20 meeting; consultant Richard Harris is preparing that draft before it goes to public hearing.
On separate business, Deeman said he rejected a recent building permit because the submission lacked a plot plan showing the area of disturbance. Staff review and aerial analysis suggested about 27,000 square feet of disturbance (with an unclear additional ~30,000 square‑foot area that could not be identified from available imagery), which would exceed the one‑acre threshold requiring certain erosion‑control and permitting steps. The board discussed better pre‑application guidance and coordination with the highway department (Randall Hemp) for curb‑cut requirements.
Why it matters: the board’s scheduling of a public hearing initiates a formal public record for the cell‑tower proposal; the battery‑storage draft and the permit‑documentation issue highlight evolving local policy and process concerns for development regulation and oversight.
What’s next: the board will open the June 3 public hearing on the Atlantic Wireless application, discuss the battery energy storage draft at the May 20 meeting, and staff will work to clarify permit submission requirements to reduce similar rejections in the future.
Chair Paul Deeman told the board the Atlantic Wireless application and its peer review materials are complete and that the board will open a public hearing on June 3. He also said the board will review a draft battery energy storage document at its May 20 meeting; consultant Richard Harris is preparing that draft before it goes to public hearing.
On separate business, Deeman said he rejected a recent building permit because the submission lacked a plot plan showing the area of disturbance. Staff review and aerial analysis suggested about 27,000 square feet of disturbance (with an unclear additional ~30,000 square‑foot area that could not be identified from available imagery), which would exceed the one‑acre threshold requiring certain erosion‑control and permitting steps. The board discussed better pre‑application guidance and coordination with the highway department (Randall Hemp) for curb‑cut requirements.
Why it matters: the board’s scheduling of a public hearing initiates a formal public record for the cell‑tower proposal; the battery‑storage draft and the permit‑documentation issue highlight evolving local policy and process concerns for development regulation and oversight.
What’s next: the board will open the June 3 public hearing on the Atlantic Wireless application, discuss the battery energy storage draft at the May 20 meeting, and staff will work to clarify permit submission requirements to reduce similar rejections in the future.
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