I was one of many people who attended the recent Town of Montgomery Planning Board Meeting. While I was there for one of the items on the agenda, most of the rest of the crowd was there to question/oppose one of the solar projects on the agenda. Apparently there have been at least two solar farms already approved and there were three on the agenda this evening!

The audience had many questions as to what will happen to their own property values, what about proximity to historic homes, why all the good farm soil is being taken, questions of the safety about the big battery storage buildings on site and why couldn’t it go somewhere else!
The Planning Board did try to explain they only administer the laws that the Town Board has written and voted on and adopted.

My suggestion to the audience was to approach the Town Board to try to get on the agenda as an item for discussion. If it isn’t on the agenda, you might not be heard. Perhaps it is time for the Town Board to review what they already passed as the existing “Solar Laws”, if there are any. They may need to be updated or only exist in certain zones. Right now, they can go in any zone. Why can’t warehouses/industrial projects have to include solar in their zoning?

No one in the audience was opposed to solar energy as a future power source, just that it needs to be regulated and screened. A 2-3 foot tree will take 20-30 years to grow tall enough to screen these farms.

New York State has offered lucrative tax breaks for solar development. Town will probably not see any or little tax as income.. I would rather see a “solar farm” instead of a housing development, but I think the town should look into more Farmland Preservations measures like the Brach Farm on River Road.

If you don’t want this in “your backyard”, let’s get the Town of Montgomery to examine and update where they should go (now they can go in any zone!).

You can call, email or snail mail our Town Supervisor Rod Winchell at Town Hall 110 Bracken Rd. Ask for this item be put on the agenda for a future meeting where resident’s concerns can be heard!