Pierson Township Trustee and Planning Fee member Jason Bergman, proper, shares some ideas on crafting a photo voltaic vitality ordinance as fellow PC member Paul “Chip” Dunneback listens assembly on Wednesday. — DN Picture | Elisabeth Waldon
PIERSON TOWNSHIP – The Pierson Township Planning Fee with the assistance of a employed planner took the primary steps to create a photo voltaic vitality ordinance final Wednesday evening.
All seven members of the Planning Fee had been current: Chairman Tyler Lecceadone, Jason Bergman (who’s a township board trustee and the PC liaison to the township board), Paul “Chip” Dunneback, Donna Ericksen, Patrick Maioho, Jeff Smith and Dave Tibba. Additionally current had been Zoning Administrator Lance Gates and the city’s employed planner, Kevin Yeomans of Recent Coast Planning in Grand Haven. Just one resident attended with the Every day Information.
Pierson Township Zoning Administrator Lance Gates mentioned the timeline for making a photo voltaic vitality ordinance with the township’s Planning Fee throughout Wednesday’s assembly. — DN Picture | Elisabeth Waldon
The Pierson Township Board voted earlier this month to place a four-month moratorium on photo voltaic initiatives.
Yeomans instructed the Planning Fee that his objective was to get some preliminary suggestions from them and he additionally gave them an data packet ready by Michigan State College and the College of Michigan.
“They’ve a number of good provisions that assist shield that land,” Yeomans mentioned. “The one caveat that I am positive you are conscious of is that I went and sat in on a presentation given by universities they usually had been pro-support for photo voltaic and agriculture, so a few of that language was written to help that. In the event you do not, if you wish to see it in business or industrial or a distinct sort of district, we are able to change that language to match.
“Our grasp plan particularly states that town’s objective is to protect the land as a lot as attainable,” Gates instructed the Planning Fee. “So do not forget that. We have to work on that grasp plan. The primary objective is to protect ag. Now what it seems to be like is what it’s good to discuss.
“We have already had individuals in our metropolis approached about attempting to signal leases with firms,” Gates added. “So we need to get to it now. That is the reasoning. We have to know what it’ll appear like earlier than it occurs. There are cities in our county that aren’t zoned and no matter they get as a result of they unzoned. That is our alternative to form what our personal metropolis will appear like.”
Wednesday’s assembly resulted in planners (principally) agreeing that they need to prohibit photo voltaic farms to business and industrial districts and never permit them in agricultural districts.
Kevin Yeomans of Recent Coast Planning in Grand Haven is working with the Pierson Township Planning Fee to start drafting a photo voltaic vitality ordinance on Wednesday. — DN Picture | Elisabeth Waldon
“I agree about desirous to protect ag,” Maioho mentioned. “It is higher that I do not see it in ag. Utilizing it as a principled use of promoting energy turns into a distinct subject and that is the place the mounts actually concern me. It might eat a number of land. We have talked about accent buildings — we do not need individuals filling up their very own property and ruining it, for lack of a greater time period. I do not see why we’d do this for business and industrial with floor mounted photo voltaic.
“We additionally should do not forget that we won’t utterly ban it,” Lecceadone replied. “As a planning physique, we now have to agree on one thing. Property homeowners ought to have much less rights. A farmer with 300 acres – how can we come to a little bit compromise ? If we inform Farmer Joe that he can disperse them inside 32 % of his land — I do not suppose anyone’s going to leap up and say that is dangerous. I am simply making one % — 100% all of us say that all of us have a problem, however the 32 %, we are able to say that eh, take into consideration how we are able to unfold it.
“The massive suggestions I’ve gotten is that not one of the large farmers in our space need to cowl their land with photo voltaic panels as a result of that is their bread and butter (farming),” he mentioned. Bergman.
“I believe they’re ugly and I do not need to see them – they must be hidden,” Ericksen added.
“As somebody who really believes in conserving our land, I do not perceive how this may profit the neighborhood,” mentioned Maioho.
Pierson Township Planning Fee member Patrick Maioho, left, shares some ideas on crafting a photo voltaic vitality ordinance as fellow PC member Dave Tibbe listens at Wednesday’s assembly. — DN Picture | Elisabeth Waldon
“No – it is a government-supported mission,” Bergman mentioned.
“I do not see that the sacrifice of our land is a return of power,” mentioned Maioho.
“So with this ordinance we now not should approve agricultural land – we are able to permit photo voltaic farms in a business and industrial space,” Bergman defined. “I imply a photo voltaic farm is a business enterprise. I believe it is solely honest that we put it in a business district.”
“I’ve heard that argument lots – it is a business use, why not put it in a business space?” Gates agreed.
“To be a satan’s advocate, you are going to face rezoning points,” Lecceadone identified.
“I am on the lookout for a farmer who will convert his land to business or industrial,” Bergman replied.
“I believe we have to take a look at landlord rights as properly,” Lecceadone mentioned. “I believe we have to see what agriculture seems to be like earlier than we exit and say no. I believe we have to do our due diligence to say if we’ll do that in agriculture, what’s going to it appear like? That is additionally a safety in opposition to lawsuits which have come in opposition to us that say we’re too strict. We do not need to be too strict.”
Pierson Township Planning Fee Chairman Tyler Lecceadone led a dialogue on the way to create a photo voltaic vitality ordinance for the township throughout Wednesday’s assembly. — DN Picture | Elisabeth Waldon
“I need the utmost to the minimal quantity that we are able to permit,” Maioho mentioned. “If it is 100 hectares and we are able to say 10 % and not using a problem, it is 10 %. If we now have to say 15 %, what’s it. I do not need to restrict individuals, however I need to forestall individuals from overdoing it.
Wednesday’s assembly ended with Bergman, Lecceadone and Maioho agreeing to kind a committee with Gates to work on a photo voltaic ordinance with Yeoman with the objective of bringing a draft ordinance to a public listening to. listening to in March.
The Planning Fee additionally voted to set their assembly schedule for the yr. All conferences start at 7 pm on Thursday: Feb. 23, March 23, April 27, Could 25, June 22, July 27, August 24, Sept. 28, Oct. 26 and Nov. 30.
