Proposed solar farm in Fayette County sparks backlash from neighbors
A solar farm that would be constructed on an 88-acre property in Georges Township has sparked backlash from people living nearby the site who say it would have an adverse affect on their neighborhood.
Susquehanna Solar LLC of Fort Mill, S.C., is proposing to build the farm with numerous solar panels capable of generating large amounts of electricity that would be sent to the grid, although the cost of the project has not been released.
The solar farm would be located on two tracts of land straddling York Run Road in a residential area near Route 119, requiring the company to get a special exception in order to begin construction. The site is close to about 30 homes and Albert Gallatin High School, which has caused many in the area to oppose construction and place 鈥淣O! SOLAR FARMS鈥� signs in their yards.
There are already two other solar farms either under construction or close to operating in Fayette County. One is in Gans and the other is near the Fayette County Fairgrounds, but both are in agriculturally zoned areas, giving the companies that built those solar farms an easier path to construction.
With the company asking for a special exception due to its residential location, the county鈥檚 zoning hearing board is allowing affected parties to testify at one of three hearings, the second of which was held Wednesday morning and attracted more than 50 people in the audience.
Jeff Graham, who lives on Gilmore Road about a mile from the site, said the solar farm would be 鈥減utting junk in our neighborhood鈥� and he was concerned about what would happen with the panels when the site is no longer in use.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like installing a toxic waste dump 鈥� a highly-designed one 鈥� in your neighborhood,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 see it. I can鈥檛 smell it. But I know it鈥檚 there.鈥�
Nate Fox, an attorney with Obermayer law firm in Doylestown who is representing Susquehanna Solar, said the company is bonded and must pay to make any repairs, and it will eventually decommission and remove the equipment, although it鈥檚 not known how long the farm will be operating.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a guest in Fayette County and Georges Township,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淲e want to be a part of the community and develop this solar farm in accordance with the special exception requirements and the land development requirements.鈥�
Fox said Susquehanna Solar has an agreement to buy the land and then would build and manage the solar farm. It would take six to nine months to build once the company gets zoning approval 鈥� which is not assured 鈥� and stormwater permits from the state.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of work,鈥� Fox said. 鈥淲e want to make sure we get it right and this is part of the process. We want to give everybody the respect and hear from everyone. But we really want to be here and do what it takes for this project to be successful.鈥�
Georges Township Supervisor Todd Churby said the biggest concern for him and the other supervisors is the site鈥檚 proximity to homes, the high school and a daycare. He added that he鈥檚 a member of the Collier Volunteer Fire Department and they have not received any training on how to respond to a fire at the solar farm.
He said the municipality was unaware of the project until officials learned about it in April. Since the township doesn鈥檛 have zoning, the process is going through Fayette County鈥檚 zoning hearing board to decide if there should be a special exception.
鈥淲e have not got anything,鈥� he said of the township not receiving any documents or information.
The first zoning hearing was held April 24 and then continued to Wednesday due to the number of people who wanted to speak. But with only an hour allotted for testimony, the board scheduled a third hearing beginning at 10 a.m. Aug. 28 in the commissioners meeting room at the former Gallatin Bank Building that is expected to take all day.
Attorney Jason Adams is representing 鈥渃oncerned citizens鈥� who are trying to block construction of the solar farm. He expects to call numerous witnesses, including an expert in the field, during the August hearing.