Plainfield Conservation Commission Continues Solar Hearing, Awaits Spring Soil Tests

PLAINFIELD — March 25, 2026 — Plainfield Conservation Commission continues solar farm hearing, hears of second project withdrawal. The commission voted at its March 25 meeting to continue its public hearing on a Notice of Intent for a proposed 66-unit solar array and energy storage installation to April 29, pending soil test pit work at the site's four stormwater detention basins. Commission members pushed back on pressure from applicant representative Brandon Smith to begin testing immediately, noting 16 inches of ice remained in the site pond and snow was forecast, with the state stormwater handbook pointing to April or May as the appropriate window for seasonal high groundwater measurement. The applicant's engineer confirmed the basin stormwater design had been revised since a critical 2018 DEP letter and peer-reviewed by Guntlone Associates. Separately, a commission member reported that WAVE had withdrawn its application for a solar array and battery storage project on East Street, with no explanation provided.