Kingston Board of Health Approves ADU Leaching Field Variance at Clearing Farm Road

KINGSTON -- April 6, 2026, Kingston Board of Health approves reduced leaching field for Clearing Farm Road ADU, opens battery storage discussion. The board voted unanimously at its April 6 meeting to grant a variance to Buzz Artiano at 11 Clearing Farm Road, accepting 434 square feet of leaching capacity for a two-bedroom accessory dwelling unit in place of the 800 square feet required under town regulations; consultant Max Coppola of Grady Consulting said meeting the standard would have required crossing a water line and tearing up the front yard. The board also learned that an upcoming tobacco compliance hearing involving three cited businesses will give it authority only over license suspensions, not fines, which state rules require the businesses to pay, with just one business, described as a Brazilian establishment in the process of being sold, confirmed to appear. A board member returning from the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards conference presented detailed information on Battery Energy Storage Systems, large industrial battery facilities associated with noise, fire, and toxic chemical hazards, and the board directed the clerk to schedule a future agenda item on proactive BESS siting policy in coordination with the Planning Board and fire department.