Meeting Type: Regular Meeting
Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Municipal Building Community Room
Address: 43 Bombardier Road Milton, VT 05468
1. CALL TO ORDER
The Chair
called the meeting to order at approximately 6:10 p.m.
2. ATTENDANCE
Members Present:
Lori Donna, Chair; Julie Rutz, Vice-Chair; Tony Micklus, Clerk; Henry
Bonges; John Lindsay (arrived approximately 6:13).
Members Absent:
John Lindsay.
Staff Present:
Jacob Hemmerick, Planning Director; Donna Barlow Casey, Town
Manager.
Public Present:
Liam Niu and Zach Sadowsky of Sybac Solar Photovoltaics.
3. AGENDA REVIEW
Staff
requested that Work Plan review be added to the Agenda, before Item 7(B).
4. PUBLIC FORUM
None.
5. STAFF UPDATES
Staff gave
a quick update on recent department activity.
Staff stated that the Selectboard approved an extension of Interim
Zoning, but only until June 30, 2017.
This means the Planning Commission (PC) will need to finalize everything
a little bit earlier than anticipated, but the group agreed it was feasible
with extra meetings. Barlow Casey shared
some staffing news. A discussion
focusing on the TIF fund rounded out the staff updates. Various PC members offered suggestions and
ideas, which were discussed.
6. OFFICIAL NOTICES
No
official notices.
7. BUSINESS
7(A). Review of Checkerberry Solar
Park Section 248 Filing with Public Service Board
Introductions
were made between the board and Liam Niu and Zach Sadowsky, representatives for
Sybac Solar Photovoltaics (hereafter referred to as “Sybac representative” or
“representative.” Staff shared Sybac
Solar’s Public Service Board application, and shared thoughts on the
proposal. Sadowsky and Niu then gave an
introduction to their project.
The Sybac representative
mentioned that the project was being brought forward through the “standard
offer” procedure, adding that the price being offered is the lowest price in
the history of their standard offerings.
This should provide great benefit and value to the ratepayer
system. He stated the company does its
best to be good neighbors and take concerns in to consideration. This is one reason the company likes to site
its projects in areas zoned for Industrial uses, even though they feel their
use has less impact, especially in terms of noise.
The Sybac representative
acknowledged that there is significant vegetation on the property that would
require clearing, and that they do intend to buildout the majority of the
parcel to reach the desired 2.2 megawatt space, but that a vegetative buffer
will be established and maintained in order to mitigate the impact to
neighbors. He added that even if the
vegetative buffer means less sunlight on the solar panels, it would be
acceptable. He stated that clearing
would likely be done during the months of November/December, when the least
harm to the natural area and its wildlife would occur. He stated a preliminary environmental
assessment had be done, and that there were no major red flags such as bat or
deer nesting sites.
Regarding
the ravine, he stated that they are looking at options that will allow them to
stay as far away from that part of the parcel as possible. They will most likely have to move panels
around, and possibly increase the wattage of some panels in order to use less
of them, to keep north of the ravine. He
also mentioned they would likely be using advanced erosion measures to prevent
erosion in the ravine.
Bonges
asked about screening along Route 7, emphasizing the importance of this very
visible stretch of roadway. The Sybac
representative stated the solar panels don’t start until a couple hundred feet
back from Route 7. He added that from a
technical perspective, Sybac is more concerned about the eastern and western
side of the parcel for clearing, and most neighbors are on the south. He stated they can maintain the southerly tree
line. Additionally, the panels are oriented
at 25-30 degrees, and with the company’s standard 10-foot privacy fencing, it’s
unlikely that there will be a glare issue; in fact the southerly neighbors may
not even be able to see the panels at all.
The company has a tool that they use with airports – where glare is an
obvious concern -- to test glare. The
Sybac representative stated they will prioritize this testing once Lindsay
pointed out that they are within a 10-mile radius of the Burlington
Airport. [Milton also contains one,
private air strip northwest of this site.]
Donna
asked if they plan to clear vegetation to the property line and then erect the
fence; the Sybac representative answered no and clarified that they plan to clear
within the panel locations and footprint, and that a vegetative buffer would be
left up outside the fence.
Bonges
inquired about decommissioning. The
representatives replied that the Public Service Board has specific requirements
for decommissioning this type of site that will be met.
Lindsay
asked if Sybac had any plans for a possible second use below the solar panels,
for example: planting rare native
species, or pasturing animals (such as goats).
The representatives stated they were open to it, but haven’t done it in
the past. They added that, being a solar
company, they are obviously concerned with sustainability and are therefore open
to the possibility.
Bonges asked if the energy would be sold to GMP? The Sybac representative replied that Vermont Electric Power Producers, Inc. (VEPPI) administers the Standard Offering program, and ultimately about 80% of the power would likely be purchased by GMP.
Donna
inquired about the project’s timeline.
The representative stated that permitting alone could take place over the
remainder of 2017. Their Certificate of Public
Good (CPG) could potentially be awarded at the end of 2017. Once the CPG is obtained, clearing could
begin, with construction following in spring of 2018.
Bonges
asked if workers would be brought in from out of state; the representatives
replied that some management would need to be brought in, but local labor would
be utilized. They also hope to have a
local team on hand for repairs and ongoing maintenance as needed.
Discussion
about access roads and connectivity commenced.
The representatives stated that they are open to looking at the
feasibility of moving their proposed curb cut (for alignment with Forbes Road)
and potentially paving their access road and reserving space for a ROW between the
platted road on the adjoining lot to the north (approved as part of an industrial
subdivision with a direct connection to the subject lot) and Forbes Road. Hemmerick distributed a copy of the recorded
subdivision plat.
The group
thanked the Sybac representatives for traveling to Vermont and the meeting concluded.
Next Steps: Staff will draft a letter to the Public
Service Board, providing comments based on the night’s discussion. The group identified their top three
concerns: access, screening, and a secondary
use.
7(B) Work Plan Review
The
Commissioners discussed various possible weekend meeting dates, and agreed on the
following plan:
·
2/21/17
Regular Meeting
·
2/25/17
Special Saturday meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
·
2/28/17
Regular meeting
·
3/11/17
reserved for a Special meeting date, if needed.
7(C).
Unified Regulations: Section III
TABLED by
unanimous consent due to weather.
8. MINUTES
8(A). January 3, 2016 and January 17,
2017
TABLED by
unanimous consent due to weather.
9. ADJOURNMENT
MOTION by Micklus
to adjourn at approximately 7:40 p.m.; SECOND by Bonges. Unanimously APPROVED.
