Westport Planning Board Approves Route 88 Solar Pole Modification With Screening Conditions

WESTPORT — June 30, 2026 — Westport Planning Board approves after-the-fact solar permit modification after applicant moves poles away from abutters. The board unanimously approved a modification to the large-scale solar special permit for Westport Route 88 Solar 1, LLC, allowing above-ground utility poles in place of previously approved underground installation, after attorney Adam Waldarelli of Fletcher Tilton and general manager Michael Kushner relocated all poles from the boundary of an abutting property on Sullivan Drive to within the applicant's fenced leasehold. The revised layout added two span poles to satisfy Eversource Energy's 150-foot span requirement. Approval came with conditions requiring submission of an engineered pole-relocation plan, a landscaping screen comparable to the Route 88 planting plan to be installed along the Dean family's property boundary at the applicant's expense using six- to seven-foot specimens, a planning board field inspection for additional screening needs, and reseeding with a pollinator mix. The board also received word of a $108,200 MassTRAILS grant for the Watuppa Connector boardwalk along South Watuppa Pond, with the Planning Board, Select Board, and Bay Coast Bank together contributing an additional $22,000.