by Bea Peterson
There are currently five Solar Farms either underway or going through the approval process in the Town of Hoosick. At a joint meeting of the Town, Planning and Zoning Boards on Tuesday evening, July 28, the consensus was that a temporary moratorium on any more farms should be put in place until a study of the overall impact on the Town and its residents can be determined. The Town Board would have to make such a determination at its August meeting.
[private]During the discussion it was noted that solar companies are anxious to get as many of these projects underway as possible as they have until April 2016 to reap special benefits from the installations. Those benefits include a 15 year tax exemption. Town Supervisor Mark Surdam said, “we are not out to kill solar farms. We are certainly not against them, we just want to have some control over the affect they will have on our community.”
Technologies Outpacing Laws
Supervisor Surdam called the joint meeting, which was well attended by members of both Boards, Deputy Supervisor Jeff Wysocki and the attorneys representing the three Boards. Surdam opened the meeting by thanking everyone for coming out on a hot evening. He said technologies such as solar energy and communications are advancing so quickly that the Town Zoning and Planning regulations aren’t adequate to cover these technologies and that issue needs to be addressed.
The issue of Bouncelinx wanting to bring better internet service to the Town is an example. Wi-Fi towers and commercial cell towers, temporary towers and permanent towers are all different, and the regulations need to reflect that. There is the safety issue of putting transmitters on silos. Everyone agreed good high speed internet is essential to community growth. However, proper regulation that is beneficial to the Town and its residents is also important.
The laws and regulations that other communities have in place to deal with the new technologies will be investigated.
The meeting generated a great deal of discussion, clarification of issues and an exchange of ideas which were helpful to all.[/private]