Proposed Moreau solar farm law discussed – The Post Star

“I, for one, don’t want to see huge solar panels all over the town of Moreau. But I said it three years ago, I’ll say it tonight, there are places in this town where this type of a project will work,” council member John Donohue asserted during the board’s solar workshop Tuesday.

The board is working from a previously drafted law which was dropped by the prior administration following years of debate between officials and residents.

But there are some differences between the current proposal and the last.

Rather than rezoning specific areas of the town for solar array construction, the proposed law would create an “overlay district,” which encompasses the entire town.

Joshua Westfall, building planning and development coordinator for the town of Moreau, explained, “It can be anywhere, and the applicant would just have to demonstrate that they would have means to hook into the grid and follow the requirements of this proposed code.”

The new proposal draws a distinction between “large scale,” and “small scale” arrays, with different regulatory standards for each.

The proposed policy would be folded into the town’s zoning code, but each application would be reviewed by the board on a case-by-case basis.

“The way it’s structured is that there would be a rezone, a special use permit and a site plan review,” Westfall said, referring to the way local municipalities handle various proposed uses of property. “Those would all be handled by the town board.”

Council member Patrick Killian, who was an outspoken advocate for the previously proposed solar law, spoke on Tuesday to the value solar arrays can bring to landowners.

“Being a former dairy farmer, you look at the statistics as far as what’s going on in our world, our country, we’re losing [an acre every three minutes], that’s 175-acres an hour to development,” Killian stated. “In the town of Moreau, farmers are dropping off like flies.”

Previously, proponents of the law said that allowing farmers the opportunity to lease their land to solar companies for “solar farms” would be a boon to the landowners who are struggling with minuscule profit margins. But others are concerned that filling the landscape with swaths of solar panels could do damage to the ground’s utility as well as ruin the serene aesthetic of the town.

“I am a full supporter of allowing people to use their land and make money on their land. The government shouldn’t step on that,” council member Mark Stewart injected. “But I’m also a big supporter of, ‘Support your neighbors and be a good neighbor.’”

Stewart acknowledged that this has been a hot-button-issue in the past and encouraged the public to once again take up the gauntlet and give their input.

He specifically pointed to three key aspects to the solar law that need public input: What percentage of property could be allocated to solar arrays, what setbacks should be imposed from property lines, and what screening requirements should be implemented to shield the arrays from surrounding properties.

“We are here to have the tough job of creating a law that’s going to be enforced and affect everybody,” he said. “Hopefully we get some letters or phone calls, or participation in our public hearing.”

The meeting Tuesday evening June 25, was very small compared to some of those on the same subject in prior years.

Supervisor Jesse Fish said that the proposed law would be discussed at the board’s next regularly scheduled meeting on July 9, and a public hearing would be set at that time.