Solar project seeks exception

Town Board members are reviewing a application from Cypress Creek Renewables for part of the Landau Solar project to have exempted from land use requirements that require projects to have immediate access to a public road.

The request was made during a meeting last week, with the developer noting that the 6-megawatt Landau Solar installation is actually two projects consisting a 2-megawatt system that has access from state Route 32 and a 4-megawatt project that would be accessed by going over property used for the first project.

“Although the parcel to be developed for Landau II lacks the required legal access under town law the existing well-developed access drive is more than sufficient for access to the Landau II parcel,” developers wrote.

“The existing gated access drive has been used for many decades, dating to its use for industrial mining operations,” they wrote. “In general (Cypress Creek Renewables’) approach for the projects has been one of adaptive reuse of former mining facilities. Doing so promotes a new green use of formerly scarred industrial properties while minimizing additional clearing needed to facilitate solar development.”

Developers plan to have the arrays cover about 64.02 acres on sections of three parcels that the Ulster County GIS reports totals 329.7 acres owned by Eddyville Corporation.

The application seeks to have the properties designated as an Open Development Area that would allow developers to extend the current 2,460-foot long driveway by 920 feet with an additional 110-foot turning area added at the end of the road.

Developers estimate the project will cost $4.35 million and create 23 full-time construction jobs. They submitted a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes plan that will pay $9,000 annually per every 2 megawatts of electricity produced over a 15-year period once the arrays are operational. The amount would be in addition to the taxes paid based on current assessed value, which is designated as vacant land.

In July developers submitted an environmental scoping documents in response to concerns express a public hearing. They contend that:

• Concerns about impacts to an aquifer have been reviewed and no adverse impacts are expected from the arrays.

• An assessment will be made of impacts from clearing vegetation on the site. The study will include identifying, classifying and mapping the type of vegetation to be cleared.

• There will be a full environmental impact study conducted instead of short form assessment of the project.