Planning Board Approves Solar Bond, Extends Restaurant Outdoor Cooking Permit
Planning Board · Meeting of January 20, 2026
Southwick Planning Board approves $296,148 solar decommissioning bond and extends restaurant outdoor cooking permit to June 1. The board unanimously approved the Lodestar Energy Southwest Solar Project decommissioning plan at its January 20 meeting, setting a starting bond of $296,148 with annual escalations, after Town Planner Alvin Allen called the document "probably the most thorough one I have seen." Crepes Tea House at 157 Feeding Hills Road won an extension of its one-day-per-week outdoor cooking permission through June 1, 2026, but only after the board read into the record a September 2025 health department letter about an unpermitted smoker and a December 2025 complaint about cooking on two consecutive days; Chair Jessica Thornton told owner Peter Vizcas she was "frankly irritated" that violations occurred while the matter was still before the board. The board also approved two special permits for a single-family home at 32 Sheep Pasture Road and added two police department items to the Master Plan action list: securing license plate readers at main town access points and exploring lower speed limits.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,127 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of January 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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