Event on solar project slated

The information session at the Town Hall on April 18 will focus on planned installations off state Route 32

Developers have scheduled an April 18 information session on the Landau Solar project proposed by Cyprus Creek Renewable off state Route 32.

The session is set for 7 p.m. at the Town Hall on Town Hall Drive.

In a press release, Bryan Stumpf wrote the event is intended to provide answers to questions about the project.

“Landau Solar will have very minimal environmental impact,” he wrote. “The project is currently designated on previously disturbed land and the entire project will be fully enclosed by vegetation to mitigate all visual impacts to the surrounding area.”

The proposal is for the installations to be placed on three sections of a 190.2-acre property owned by Eddyville Corp. at 3040 state Route 32. There would be two installation on top of a ridge overlooking Eddyville, while the

third site will be about 200 feet east of the road.

Supervisor James Quigley on Thursday said the company declined to have one of the installations set up on a section of a former quarry on the west side of state Route 32.

“In the very beginning, they opened a window a little crack and then they shut it on me and put all three of them on the east side,” he said.

Quigley said town officials could consider issuing a positive declaration for environmental impacts, depending on what comments are submitted during the review process.

A positive declaration would subject the proposal to closer scrutiny for possible environmental harm.

“My objective here is to make sure it is as non-noticeable as possible,” he said.

“I’m really pressing to have community feedback on this project,” Quigley said. “I was going to recommend to the Town Board ... ending up in a full environmental impact statement process for Landau and I was advised by a number of people that it is not typical for a project like this to end up in a full environmental review because of the limited impacts that it has on a community. Quite frankly, I’d like to hear how the people feel about that.”

Quigley said town officials did not take action on a previously proposed town law to regulate solar farms because there are limited locations at which largescale installations could be established near the electric grid.

“I finally got the maps from Central Hudson ... and, at the end of the day, why do I put a law in place if I have no site,” he said.