Residents slam plans for solar farm in northern Berks

Mar. 23—Plans for a solar farm on a 440-acre plot in Windsor Township drew criticism from residents living nearby at a township planning commission meeting Tuesday.

The plans — proposed by Leeward Renewable Energy, LLC, Dallas — would place panels and other infrastructure on about 20% of the plot, located south of Old Route 22, north of Hess Road, east of Sunday Road, and west of Clauss Road.

Developers said the facility would power 8,500 homes per year and would connect to the Met-Ed system.

Construction is projected to start in 2025.

The planning commission postponed a recommendation on plan approval after residents at the meeting voiced concerns about the project's impact on stormwater runoff, property values and the area's natural beauty. They asked for more transparency from the township.

The plans will go to the township supervisors for a conditional use hearing once the planning commission issues its recommendation.

Public comment

Applause and cheers often erupted in the lecture hall at Hamburg Middle School, where the meeting was held, as about a dozen of the roughly 60 residents in attendance took to the podium to criticize the plans.

Kicking off public comment Tuesday was the plan's sole supporter among those who spoke — Jim Gaspari, who owns most of the proposed solar farm plot.

Gaspari said he leased the land to local farmers for decades, but the quality of the soil has been declining, forcing his tenants to resort to larger amounts of chemical fertilizers.

He said residents along the south side of Old Route 22 had deep concerns about chemicals infiltrating into their well water and were in favor of the solar farm.

Gaspari said the solar farm would be the best solution to preserve and revitalize the land.

"When the (solar farm) lease term is up, the land will be brought back to its original condition, minus the erosion, runoff, and chemical issues," Gaspari said.

Developers noted that the facility is planned to operate for three to four decades, after which the solar panels would be decommissioned and removed.

Residents disagreed with Gaspari, worrying that adding impervious surfaces to a sloped area would worsen existing stormwater issues or lead to contamination of the water table.

"The water is not going into the ground directly, it's going to run off into retention ponds," Jeffry Bryan said, "I don't see how that's not going to affect our water table."

In an earlier presentation, developers said they've done studies examining the regional watershed and have looked at offering solutions beyond what is required by law.

In addition, they said solar panels are sealed to withstand all weather conditions and pose no threat of chemicals mixing with water or air during normal use.

Residents also said they were concerned about a lack of transparency as to how the township was proceeding with the plans.

A number of residents said they only found out about the meeting at the last minute and felt the township's efforts to notify people were inadequate.

Russel Farbiarz, township solicitor, said he understood people's frustration's but noted that the township had followed the law in terms of public notice.

He said the conditional use hearing would be advertised on the township's website and owners of affected properties would all receive notice.

"There's no intention by the planning commission or the board not to have you all attend," Farbiarz said.

Residents also said they were dissatisfied with the developers' lack of answers to specific questions. The developers offered no comment on residents' statements.

Farbiarz said residents would have a chance to question developers directly at the hearing but said the public comment period was not meant to be a back-and-forth.

Member steps aside

In addition, residents said they were concerned about the financial involvement of planning commission member Dale Frederick in the project. He is offering 150 acres of his land to the solar farm.

Frederick recused himself from the meeting Tuesday.

Bryan asked Frederick to explain when his involvement in the project began.

In comments to the Reading Eagle after the meeting, Frederick said he'd been involved in the project since before the township declined a variance for a smaller proposed solar farm.

Frederick said he'd recused himself from the planning commission's vote to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

He said the agriculture industry has suffered economic blows in recent years, and survival for some farms — including his — means diversification.

"For the farm to continue for multiple generations, you need to be diversified. I see (the solar farm) as part of that," Frederick said, "To me, it's a very non-intrusive impact."

Other concerns expressed by residents focused on the project's potential negative impact on housing prices and the natural beauty of the area.

"There's thousands of acres with no homes ... why build a solar farm with 40 or so residents that will be looking at it every day?" Ron Stabile asked developers.

Develops noted in an earlier presentation that trees would cover the 8-foot fence surrounding the property, and obscure the view of the panels.

In a fact sheet posted to the project's website, developers also said the solar panels are equipped with anti-reflective coating, minimizing visual impact.

They said the facility lacks the negative qualities that would typically lower property values, like hazardous materials, odor, noise and excess traffic.

The solar farm would bring in about $5.6 million in tax revenue over the life of the project, developers said, with $4.3 million going to the Hamburg School District.

The planning commission will issue a recommendation on approval at a future meeting. The date of that meeting was not set Tuesday.