X

Potsdam planning board approves special use permit for solar farm off Route 11

Posted 1/22/22

North Country This Week POTSDAM — The town planning board has approved a special use permit and a site plan for a commercial solar project off U.S. Route 11. Elie Schecter of Potsdam Community …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Potsdam planning board approves special use permit for solar farm off Route 11

Posted

North Country This Week

POTSDAM — The town planning board has approved a special use permit and a site plan for a commercial solar project off U.S. Route 11.

Elie Schecter of Potsdam Community Solar 2 LLC applied for the permit and submitted a site plan for the board’s review for a proposed 5 megawatt solar facility on a 40 acre plot owned by Terra Development north of the village on Route 11 past the school.

The board approved the permit and plan at its meeting Jan. 4 following a public hearing on the request.

Terra Development also owns neighboring lots of 107 and 38 acres on either side of the acreage slated for the installation that are not part of the project acreage.

“They are now getting everything together to apply for a building permit, construction won't start till spring or early summer,” said Town Code Enforcement Officer Jeffrey Murray.

The solar installation plans were approved by the county planning board with conditions on Aug. 16, 2021.

The company needed a special use permit to obtain its building permit for the facility because the 40-acre lot where the solar farm would be installed is zoned R-1 which is designated predominately for single-and two-family residential use. The lot is currently vacant land however and public or private utilities and solar facilities are authorized uses with the special use permit. The lot is located directly behind several smaller residential parcels that line Route 11.

The solar facility will be a “5 megawatt alternating current ground-mounted solar generating facility.” The installation will feature solar modules installed on a single axis-tracker racking system with driven pile foundations. The facility will also feature three concrete equipment pads, a perimeter fence and underground conduit.

According to the company's written description provided to the town and the county, the solar power system will interconnect directly to the National Grid distribution system through a new utility pole linked to the circuit running along Route 11.

The company expects the project to have an operational life of 25 years or more.

As part of the project the company will be tasked with decommissioning the facility once its operational life concludes.