OVID TWP. — A closing choice on a special-use allow to construct a 150-megawatt photo voltaic farm on 1,109 acres in Ovid Township was delayed once more Monday night time after the township board acquired solely a draft of the decommission bond language round midday. the assembly remains to be right here.
“We have now some points with it,” stated Supervisor Jeff O’Dell.
The board will convene a piece session assembly within the subsequent few weeks to debate the ultimate language. It requested lawyer Joe Haas to current the ultimate draft at the very least two weeks earlier than the February 14 assembly.
With the assembly room and foyer as soon as once more crammed with mission opponents, trustees unanimously voted to not enhance the 500-foot setback for 4 parcels of property that non-participating lessees had signed the “good neighbor” pledge. agreements surrounded on three sides by photo voltaic panels.
After practically two years of engaged on the photo voltaic farm ordinance by means of its planning fee, which was authorised by the township board, the board just isn’t but able to rewrite the legislation. The planning fee’s October vote to suggest the 1,000-foot setback failed 3-2. The board authorised the ordinance as drafted.
Affected proprietor Jim Haylett requested the place house owners may attraction. The group introduced greater than 275 complaints about photo voltaic farms.
Lawyer Haas stated the house owners can solely go to courtroom to ensure the town enforces the handed ordinance.
“The time to attraction the ordinance has come and gone. What was handed was the ordinance,” stated the lawyer. The ordinance was modified from the unique proposal resulting from setbacks a number of occasions.
“One factor that does not get talked about is individuals renting their land,” O’Dell advised the group. “You need us to violate their rights in your rights.”
O’Dell personally opposes photo voltaic farms, however the state guidelines that they’re a suitable agricultural use and have to be allowed beneath zoning laws.
“No, I do not like photo voltaic. I do not prefer it. I do not agree with this. I do not need to reside there,” O’Dell admitted. “However it is a authorized query, not an ethical query.”
Haylett requested who would pay him for the 30% discount in his property resulting from photo voltaic panels inside 500 ft of his dwelling.
Trustee Steve Norton stated he’s on the lookout for research that examine land values earlier than and after photo voltaic installations are positioned subsequent to properties.
In accordance with the Affiliation of Photo voltaic Power Industries, giant photo voltaic arrays normally haven’t any measurable impression on the worth of close by properties, and in some circumstances can have optimistic results.
“The worth of your property is more likely to go up, not down,” he stated.
Norton requested that Apex Clear Power discover planting white pine bushes to enhance beautification. The bushes across the two small photo voltaic farms constructed within the final two years are useless.
“Due to residual herbicides and fertilizers, the soil needed to be left undisturbed for years” to ensure that the bushes to develop.
Norton additionally suggests display fencing across the property till the vegetation and bushes develop. Apex will set up 127,000 ft or 27 miles of fencing to guard the panels and property across the photo voltaic panels.
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Language within the decommissioning settlement that trustees need to evaluate offers that require an impartial appraisal of closure prices each 5 years, then modify the bond to mirror these values.
Haas stated the adjustments might be authorised throughout the February assembly, then the precise doc drawn as much as mirror the board’s selections and not using a closing doc in hand.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Observe him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.
