Kearsarge Claremont Solar LLC development

The Kearsarge Claremont Solar LLC project arose when the developer submitted an application for a conditional use permit to construct a 0.814 MW ground-mounted solar array on a 12.39-acre industrial parcel at the intersection of River Road and Calvert Hill.

At the May 26, 2026 planning board meeting the board first accepted the conditional use permit application as complete, then approved it subject to five conditions including conformance with submitted materials and a two-year validity period; this approval directly triggered the immediate transition to site plan review for the same project.

During site plan review staff confirmed that traffic, landscaping, stormwater and fire protection elements met city standards while the board examined winter visual buffering from existing trees and accepted the applicant's erosion plans as sufficient, resulting in approval subject to seven conditions such as recording mylar copies at the Registry of Deeds.

Public comments at the meeting highlighted neighbor worries about property devaluation and long-term conversion of industrial and agricultural land, prompting a separate board discussion that reached consensus to handle broader solar land-use policy only through the upcoming Master Plan rather than piecemeal zoning changes.

The project therefore stands approved with conditions while the planning director continues preparing zoning amendments and the Master Plan process to address future solar siting.