OVID TWP. — A remaining determination 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 obtained solely a draft of the decommission bond language round midday. the assembly remains to be right here.
“Now we have 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 legal professional Joe Haas to current the ultimate draft at the least two weeks earlier than the February 14 assembly.
With the assembly room and foyer as soon as once more full of mission opponents, trustees unanimously voted to not improve 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 way of its planning fee, which was authorised by the township board, the board will not be but able to rewrite the regulation. 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 might enchantment. The group offered greater than 275 complaints about photo voltaic farms.
Legal professional Haas stated the house owners can solely go to courtroom to verify the town enforces the handed ordinance.
“The time to enchantment the ordinance has come and gone. What was handed was the ordinance,” stated the lawyer. The ordinance was modified from the unique proposal as a consequence of setbacks a number of occasions.
“One factor that does not get talked about is individuals renting their land,” O’Dell advised the gang. “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 below zoning rules.
“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 this can be a authorized query, not an ethical query.”
Haylett requested who would pay him for the 30% discount in his property as a consequence of photo voltaic panels inside 500 toes of his residence.
Trustee Steve Norton stated he’s searching for research that evaluate land values earlier than and after photo voltaic installations are positioned subsequent to houses.
In response to the Affiliation of Photo voltaic Power Industries, giant photo voltaic arrays normally haven’t any measurable influence on the worth of close by properties, and in some instances can have constructive results.
“The worth of your property is prone to go up, not down,” he stated.
Norton requested that Apex Clear Power discover planting white pine timber to enhance beautification. The timber 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 timber to develop.
Norton additionally suggests display screen fencing across the property till the crops and timber develop. Apex will set up 127,000 toes 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 overview offers that require an unbiased appraisal of closure prices each 5 years, then modify the bond to replicate these values.
Haas stated the modifications could possibly be authorised through the February assembly, then the precise doc drawn as much as replicate the board’s selections with no remaining doc in hand.
— Contact Don Reid: [email protected]. Observe him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.
