Solar Farm At Former Marlborough Landfill: Council Hearing

MARLBOROUGH, MA — A plan to build a large solar array on top of a former Marlborough landfill will go before a City Council committee on Tuesday, making way for the completion of an idea that was proposed several years ago.

Tuesday's hearing will focus on whether to rezone the landfill area — which sits between Route 85 and the Boston Scientific campus north of Hudson Street — as a Solar Photovoltaic Overlay District. If approved, a vendor could proceed with installing an array that could occupy a majority of the 35-acre former landfill, and be large enough to provide up to 6 megawatts of power.

The Planning Board at its June 22 recommended that City Council approve the zoning change with a few caveats: that there's screening to hide the array from nearby homes, and that it not block the view from the Assabet River Rail Trail.

In 2018, Marlborough explored creating a similar solar overlay district at a parcel along Broadmeadow Street west of Callahan State Park. Ultimately, the City Council did not act on that zoning change.

Under the new proposal, Marlborough would get a one-time $10 million payment from the vendor, and low-income residents would get 2 cents off their electric rate. The city would also retain the ability to decide how large the array would be, possibly saving land for a new park.

Landfills and other hazardous sites across the state have been turned into large solar arrays in recent years. In Ashland, a 5.8 megawatt solar facility built on top of the Nyanza Superfund site cap came online in January. The Hudson Street landfill was capped and closed in the early 1980s.

The City Council Urban Affairs Committee will continue discussions on the Hudson landfill array beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.