FARMINGTON — The Board of Selectmen held a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 3, to discuss a moratorium on solar farm development within the town. In the previous meeting on Oct. 26, the board agreed to seek legal counsel on the request for a moratorium while the town boards reviewed an application to change the zoning ordinances. Adrian Harris submitted the application to the zoning board is response to a new solar farm development being proposed in his neighborhood. Harris’s request was for an increase to the property line set backs; currently, solar farm developments have to be 75 feet away from a property line. Harris requested a change to 500 feet.
Because an application for a solar farm had been submitted after the ordinance change application was submitted to the zoning board and before the board of selectmen met, the selectmen were unsure if they could enact a moratorium that would affect the current application.
After consulting with the town’s legal counsel, the board reported back that they could write a moratorium, but it would have to be approved by a town meeting vote at a special town meeting or at the annual meeting in 2022.
The project developer, Allen Tate with EDF Renewables, was present in the Nov. 3 meeting. He told the board that, after he became aware of the concerns from abutters over the setback lengths and visual nuisance, the project was amended to allow setbacks of more than 400 feet from all neighboring houses in addition to the 75 foot setback from the property line required by the ordinance. The addendum was expected to be submitted to the town on Thursday, Nov. 4. and would be discussed in the upcoming planning board meeting.
Board Chair Matthew Smith encouraged that the citizens and developer should work together to ensure a satisfactory outcome, regardless of how the board voted on a moratorium.
Given the legal restrictions on imposing a moratorium, and the fact that the project developer had taken steps to address the immediate concern, Smith made a motion to not proceed with a moratorium at this time, but to have the town ordinances reviewed over the winter.
The motion passed, three to one, with Smith, Scott Landry, and Michael Fogg in favor and Joshua Bell voting against it.
Smith stated that he hoped citizens would work with the code enforcement officer to look at specific changes they wanted to see in the town’s ordinances.
The solar farm project will be discussed farther in the Nov. 8 Planning Board meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m.
