Hearing on solar energy zoning to resume April 18

RHINEBECK, N.Y. >> The Town Board will reconvene a public hearing April 18 on proposed zoning revisions that would allow a solar energy array to be constructed at the former town landfill.

The session is to begin at 6:45 p.m. in the Town Hall, 80 E. Market St.

The proposal calls for adopting two laws: one defining the types of solar installations that could be installed, the other to allow such an installation at the former landfill, which is on Stone Church Road and has been closed for 20 year.

The revisions also would allow private solar energy systems to be placed on rooftops and large parcels.

“The [proposed] solar law basically rescinds whatever we have on our zoning law ... and provides for a new solar energy law in which we are permitting several categories of solar facilities,” said Town Attorney Warren Replansky. “Rooftop or building-mounted solar energy systems that would generate electricity ... would be permitted as an accessory use in all zoning districts pursuant to a solar energy building permit granted by the [town] code enforcement officer and the zoning enforcement officer.”

The law would allow solar power generation of up to 450 kilowatts in the Historic Preservation, Rural Agricultural, Rural Countryside, Residential Low Density, Business Park, Gateway-North, Office Research Park, Utility Corridor, Civic 2, Water Resource Overlay and Mining Overlay zoning districts.

Private systems in other parts of the town would be limited to 25 kilowatts for residential use, 50 kilowatts for farms and 100 kilowatts for commercial and institutional buildings.