Public hearing slated on commercial solar arrays

Proposed regulations aimed at minimizing the view of commercial solar arrays will be the focus of a Sept. 9public hearing.

Town Board members have set a public hearing for Monday, Sept. 9, on proposed regulations aimed at minimizing the view of commercial solar arrays.

The session is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Town Hall at 80 E. Market St.

“We worked with the Zoning Review Group over the course of several months to come up with a draft idea of what we’d like to do related to obscuring solar power plants as they’re related to commercial installations,” town consultant James Levy said. “This specifically relates to solar installations on ... roofs and what kind of obscuring we’d like to see there.

‘This is not screening. It’s obscuring.”

Under the proposed rules, developers would be required to have “visual shielding” that breaks up the visible area of a project and mitigate adverse aesthetic effects on views from residences and highways.

The proposed regulations to screen installations partially include:

• Prohibiting panels on flat roofs from extending beyond the to surrounding parapet or more than 24 inches above the roof surface.

• Use of natural terrain and topography to obscure views of the installation when possible.

• Planting non-invasive plants as landscaping that would partially block views of installations.

The draft rules drew objections from resident Robert Donaldson. He said some language proposed by advisory committee members has been left out of the proposed regulations.

“Certain clauses, especially seasonal plantings, that will provide all-yeararound screening, was omitted,” he said.

Board members said comments about shortcomings in the regulations can be voiced during the public hearing.

“We will hear all public comments then,” Supervisor Elizabeth Spinzia said. “This is the law that the Town Board decided we wanted to bring forward for a public hearing, and we wanted to listen to want the public comment is.”