Hadley Conservation Commission issues enforcement order for Plainville Farm solar project

HADLEY -- October 14, 2025, Hadley Conservation Commission issued a wetlands enforcement order and continued three solar applications Tuesday amid debate over off-site mitigation. The commission voted unanimously to issue an enforcement order for the Plainville Farm dual-use solar project at 133A Mount Warner Road, requiring removal of equipment from the 35-foot no-disturb zone by early December and full restoration of approximately 23,980 square feet of historically mapped wetland by November 1, 2026. Andrew Gorman of Beals and Thomas, representing the applicant, said additional buffer-zone mitigation for a barn footprint would be scoped before the November 18 meeting. A second solar application at 143 Mill Valley Road was continued to November 18 pending peer review of riverfront impacts, and a third project at 88 Shattuck Road, subject to Natural Heritage spade-foot toad restrictions limiting heavy equipment work to October 31 through April 1, was held over for lack of quorum. The 7Brew commercial project at 347 Russell Street was continued to April 14, 2026, after the commission said it could not accept a proposed cash mitigation fund without a specific identified project and noted that creating such a fund would require Town Meeting authorization at the earliest in spring 2026. The commission also unanimously approved a Negative 2 and 6 determination for 156 River Drive, allowing demolition and reconstruction of a flood-zone home on a reduced footprint above base flood elevation.