Worthington Planning Board Flags Gaps in Solar Review, Sets May 28 Hearing Date

WORTHINGTON -- April 30, 2026, Worthington's Planning Board pressed forward on a stalled solar review at 190 Ridge Road, flagging major gaps in the applicant's engineering submissions after eight months of process. Board members who received the peer review firm Pear Corporation's first full analysis only the day of the April 30 meeting identified missing elements including no hydrology or geotechnical study, no groundwater monitoring plan, no drinking water hazard release plan, and no assessment of abutters' wells. Blue Wave, the project applicant, has been given until May 14 to respond to a formal question list, with a public hearing continuation tentatively set for May 28. The board also confronted a separate staffing crisis: new state Department of Energy Resources regulations require a designated local government representative to process large-scale solar applications within a 10-day intake window, a role Worthington has no staff to fill. Dave Christopoulos of Hilltown Community Development is convening a regional meeting of hill town planning boards on May 8 to explore a shared, applicant-funded consultant model as a potential workaround.