Whitman Economic Development Committee Eyes Expedited Permitting Reform and Battery Storage Revenue

WHITMAN -- February 19, 2026, Whitman's Economic Development Committee mapped out a spring agenda focused on permitting reform and battery storage revenue at its February 19 meeting. The five-member panel reviewed a state guidebook on expedited permitting and discussed the 43D program with Jason Derogier, a senior planner at Old Colony Planning Council, who offered to research how the program works in practice and report back. Chair Justin Evans recapped a conversation with Fire Chief Clancy, who endorsed a proposed battery storage facility on the town-owned DPW property on Auburn Street and noted it could generate between several hundred thousand dollars and roughly $1 million annually through a PILOT agreement. Members identified the absence of a town planner as a core obstacle to permitting reform, with one member suggesting Whitman explore sharing a planner with a neighboring community. The committee set March 19 as its next meeting date and aims to complete a SWOT analysis of the town's economic development landscape by roughly June, when Old Colony Planning Council's downtown study is expected to be delivered.