Rehoboth Planning Board endorses Hillside Avenue lot split, eyes August solar decision

REHOBOTH -- July 15, 2026, Rehoboth Planning Board endorses a Hillside Avenue lot split and signals an August 5 target for an Anawan Solar decision. The board unanimously approved a Form A Approval Not Required plan carving a roughly 24,000-square-foot parcel from Joseph Grillo's 6.2-acre lot at 116-120 Hillside Avenue, pending minor plan corrections and a missing applicant signature. On the long-pending Anawan Solar application, engineer Mark Mariano of Oak Hill Engineering reported that third-party reviewer Fuss and O'Neill delivered comments on July 11 and that he would meet directly with the firm to resolve outstanding items before the August 5 meeting. The project's developer told the board that a SMART program power purchase agreement, a National Grid interconnection already completed by the utility, and a construction loan renegotiated three times are all contingent on local permitting being finalized, warning that further delay could cause the project to "go belly up." The board agreed to have its town planner draft a factual status letter to state regulators confirming the review is still active, while a member stated plainly that "there is nothing coming out of this board until we get something back from Fuss and O'Neill."