Competitive Power Ventures has refiled its request for an approval not required, or ANR, plan with the Planning Board, moving once again to grandfather its power plant proposal under the current zoning regulations.
The company's first proposal before the board, on Oct. 2, was short-circuited by a typographical error that stated the company's property was in Westwood rather than South Walpole.
The Maryland-based energy company has proposed to locate a 580-megawatt power plant at 33 Industrial Road. The proposal has garnered a great deal of active, vocal public opposition locally.
This opposition includes an article at fall Town Meeting that would delete from the zoning bylaw use table the phrase, governing "wholesale, industrial" properties, that allow "any other lawful industrial or wholesale business, service, storage or light manufacturing use."
This language has been blamed by some residents and town officials for encouraging businesses such as the proposed power plant to try to locate in town.
A similar article narrowly failed passing at spring Town Meeting, falling nine votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority required.
The passage of the zoning amendment would "essentially close the door to our going through a process in the town," Competitive Power Vice President Braith Kelly said.
Under their current ANR plan - filed on Oct. 9 - Competitive Power asks permission to declare a small piece of land on the southerly side of the Industrial Road "unbuildable," to protect the wetlands that border that side of the property. The remaining land on the currently 14-acre parcel would be "buildable."
The five-member local Planning Board must approve this action.
One benefit of the ANR plan is the protection the wetlands bordering the property, company Vice President Braith Kelly said. But the formal purpose of the ANR plan is to grandfather the property under the current town zoning regulation, he said.
According to Town Planner Don Johnson, who briefly scanned the plan after it was filed on Oct. 9, the first page, at least, correctly located the project in Walpole.
Competitive Power has been given a slot during the Oct. 16 Planning Board meeting, Johnson confirmed.
