Newburyport Conservation Commission Continues Solar Canopy Permit Over Wetland Concerns

NEWBURYPORT — June 11, 2026 — Newburyport Conservation Commission tells Parker Street solar canopy applicant to redesign or face variance denial. The commission voted 7-0 at its June 11 meeting to continue a notice of intent from Ritchie Properties LLC for two parking-lot solar canopies at 40 Parker Street, after members said the northern canopy's encroachment into a 25-foot no-disturb wetland zone could not be justified under the variance standard. Commission member Steve Moore told the project team the application "doesn't cut the mustard" because it identified no overriding public benefit, while member Julie Godforson rejected the consultant's characterization of the adjacent wetland as low-quality, saying "our job isn't to protect high quality or low quality wetlands." Developer Select Energy and property owner Mark Ritchie indicated they are already considering relocating the northern canopy array parallel to the southern array inside the main parking lot, a shift driven partly by geotechnical costs of large spread footings in the buffer zone. The commission also voted unanimously to issue a certificate of compliance for a rain-garden condominium project on Heinz Way and continued a 2010-era compliance request from 12 Pheasant Run Drive to July 7, citing the absence of a required stamped as-built plan.