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The Watertown Town Council has created a new requirement for new commercial buildings: they must have solar panels.
The council voted unanimously on Nov. 27 to become the first municipality in New England with such an ordinance, the Watertown TAB reported.
For the past few years, Watertown has required large commercial developments to perform solar assessments and feasibility studies, the paper reports.
The new ordinance applies to commercial projects equal to or greater than 10,000 square feet, or that contain 10 or more residential units, including parking garages. Buildings are exempt if they have no areas that are feasible for solar panels.
The town had previously considered a similar measure in 2016 when writing new mixed-use zoning covering much of the town’s eastern side, including the Arsenal Mall.
