ZBA grants variance to allow negotiated, variable setbacks for Route 25 solar project

After years of review, appeals and negotiations, the Wareham Zoning Board of Appeals on June 10 granted dimensional variances that will allow a compromised site plan for a solar array at Route 25.

Sarah McCarthy, the project civil engineer (VHB), described a negotiated layout that provides the full 75‑foot buffer where feasible but reduces the buffer in constrained places to as little as 0–15 feet from the property line to the fence; panels will sit an additional 10–15 feet inside the fence. McCarthy said the revised plan arose from a 2025 settlement and a Land Court remand that returned some matters to local boards.

“Where we're providing less than the zoning‑compliant setbacks of 75 ft, we are providing additional screening and moving the fence line so panels are further inboard,” she said, describing fence and panel offsets.

Opponents raised environmental and public‑health concerns about panel materials and impacts on the local aquifer. Resident Annie Hayes said early panel technologies used cadmium‑containing modules and urged more scientific review. The applicant said the project will use domestically‑manufactured panels (First Solar) that the team said carry a 30‑year warranty and that the developer has a decommissioning and recycling plan.

Board members said the site’s shape and topography, coupled with the planning board’s negotiated settlement, supported a variance. The board closed public testimony and voted to grant the variance; one member abstained.

What happens next: The planning board is expected to issue a decision with standard conditions; the granted variances implement the settlement plan but do not replace planning board review or conservation permits.