As of January 2019 Montgomery County had 1865 solar energy systems installed that generate 23.2 megawatts of electricity. In a statement, NextEra spokesperson Lisa Paul said, “We are evaluating our options and look forward to the continued development of the project.Montgomery County is a leader in promoting solar energy installations and the regulatory best practices that make those installations safer and easier to install.
Preliminary research from Penn State Dickinson shows 87 percent of zoning codes in Pennsylvania provide no guidance for utility scale solar projects. Wolf said the fight in Mount Joy could act as a cautionary tale to other townships who don’t yet have a zoning ordinance for large solar projects. He said an open records request returned documents that show the company has applied for permits to build in agriculturally-zoned land, where solar is already an approved use. “Folks put up a lot of their own hard earned-money to fight this, to try to preserve the rural character of our township and our property values and the wildlife,” said McCauslin, who is now running for township supervisor in November’s election because of his involvement with the solar fight.Īttorney Nathan Wolf, who represented neighbors who opposed the project, said an appeal from NextEra seems likely.
Todd McCauslin, who organized against the project, said he’s happily surprised. “For something as purposeful and relevant as this, if it was that much of a fight, what can you do?” he said, adding the decision calls property owners’ rights into question. He said what’s made the process especially irritating are the personal attacks aimed at his family, which has owned the land along Baltimore Pike for four generations. In response to citizen concerns, the motion to grant the permit had conditions including a higher bond amount to eventually decommission the project, a commitment to use non-reflective panels, and a requirement to get township approval for landscaping plans.Ĭlayton Wood, who leased his farm to the project, called the votes frustrating. NextEra needed a conditional use permit to build in zoning areas along the Baltimore Pike corridor. People who opposed it said the project didn’t fit the rural and historic character of the area, and raised concerns about lowered property values, impacts to wildlife, and stormwater runoff issues, among others. It planned to build solar panels on about half the area. NextEra leased 1,000 acres from 18 landowners along a rural section of Route 97 for the project.
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