Bohler Supports 30 MW Solar Field in Franklin 

Maplegate Country Club, a 140-acre property in Franklin, MA, was sold for $24.8 million to NextGrid, a private solar energy developer in a transaction brokered by American Commercial Real Estate.

The former active family-owned golf course will be redeveloped into two 15-megawatt solar photovoltaic systems — among the largest solar installations in Massachusetts — delivering clean energy to approximately 6,000 income-eligible households through community solar programs and generating an estimated $30 million in energy savings over the life of the contracts. 

The project presented significant planning, permitting, and community challenges. Bohler played a critical role in navigating local pushback tied to the site’s long-standing use as a community golf course, participating in multiple meetings with course members and stakeholders. The site itself is heavily wooded and constrained by wetlands, requiring permitting through conservation commissions and minor state approvals. 

Adding complexity, the property spans two municipalities — Franklin and Bellingham — necessitating parallel permitting through two towns and two conservation commissions. Due to limits on how much power a single project could interconnect and deliver to Eversource, the client divided the development into north and south projects, separated by preserved wetlands and dedicated green space. Bohler coordinated the consolidation of multiple parcels, designed easement connections between properties, and engineered the infrastructure to support two independent yet interconnected solar facilities. 

Once developed, the property will transition from Chapter 61B recreational tax status to an industrial assessment, generating approximately $280,000 annually in new tax revenue for the town of Franklin. Fully financed by private capital, the project demonstrates how complex, community-sensitive solar developments can move forward through careful engineering, permitting strategy, and coordination with local and regional stakeholders. 

Follow the project here.