Hurdle Mills Community Meeting- Solar Park
On August 5th, last Thursday evening at 7 pm, a group of residents in Hurdle Mills met at the firehouse to discuss the upcoming application by a developer to build a solar panel ‘farm’ on an approximately 800 acre site along Hurdle Mills road just north of Satterfield road. Many spoke after an initial presentation on the particulars of the application were summarized. The concerns of the residents are summarized as follows.
The adjacent owners were primarily concerned about the visual impact, and especially the impact on their property values. They do not believe the assertions of the developer’s ‘experts’ that there will be no negative impact. There is evidence, not given by the applicant of course, that there is in fact a negative impact. Some studies have shown 10% reduction in nearby values in other states. What the applicants experts presented had few studies based on large utility scale projects in rural areas. Tell someone who’s property will be surrounded on 3 sides by solar panels that it will not harm their property value?
Another major concern was the loss of farmland, woodland, and pastureland. The PC mater land use plan is built around preserving the rural character and ‘way of life’ and protecting farmland. Most indicated that stripping away fields and trees and covering huge tracts with aluminum and glass and silicon is not compatible with the land use goals and is certainly not ‘harmonious’ with the concept of farming. The application will require re-zoning a large parcel of land that is currently zoned ‘residential’ into a special ‘solar use’ zone. That should not be considered as compatible in any way. When someone buys property in a residential zone, they have every right to expect that the surrounding property will be used for residences, not massive arrays of solar panels. It was agreed that a major effort will be made at the next planning/zoning board meeting on August 16th to encourage the board to NOT re-zone the residential property. Without that change, the project will likely not be viable.
Concern was expressed by several about the whole county being inundated with solar project applications due to massive federal grants available to solar and ‘green power’ developers, and the existence of transmission infrastructure and large tracts of rural land that makes PC an attractive destination for these projects, and that all PC residents should be concerned and involved.
It was also noted that a concerted effort must be made, by all concerned PC residents, to attend the BOC meetings when these projects are to be presented. Our commissioners must know the concerns and wishes of our county residents. These projects, when once approved, will have to be lived with for years and generations to come. In addition, we must encourage our elected officials to modify the applicable zoning ordinances and impose limitations on how much of our rural history and county land is going to be allowed for the generation of solar energy. It remains imperative that our commissioners seek professional consultation on this matter to understand the implications of their decisions. To refrain from doing so is a stain upon the office they hold.
Respectfully submitted.
Paul Lynch, Hurdle Mills resident