Millis Planning Board Sends Battery Storage, Data Center Zoning Definitions to Town Meeting

MILLIS — April 7, 2026 — Millis Planning Board unanimously advances battery storage and data center zoning definitions to Town Meeting. The board voted at its April 7 meeting to recommend approval of proposed amendments to the town's zoning bylaws that would add formal definitions for battery energy storage systems and data storage centers and restrict larger commercial-scale installations to the IP1 and IP2 industrial zones by special permit. The amendments, prepared by the town's Zoning Bylaw Review Committee, establish a tiered framework for battery storage: tier one systems below 250 kilowatt hours would be permitted anywhere in town, while larger tier two and tier three systems — comparable to a 500-megawatt-hour facility recently installed along Route 109 in Medway — would require a special permit in the industrial zone. Data storage centers face the same industrial-zone restriction, driven by noise and high water-consumption concerns. One resident, Peter Harkey of Orchard Street, urged the board to consider parcels near the Millis hockey rink as a possible overlay district for battery storage, citing proximity to high-tension power lines. The board called the measure a first step, with a more comprehensive battery storage bylaw expected after the state releases model regulations later in 2026. The board also continued the Woodlands LLC 44-lot subdivision public hearing, without discussion, to May 12.