(April 14, 2016) While all parties appeared to agree the issues aren’t intractable, it’s clear that discussions of a proposed solar farm located off Public Landing Road are far from over.
The concerns are the setback and the density of a vegetative buffer that will be used to obscure the farm from view. As now laid out, the project would include 25 feet of vegetation, plus space for a fence and a road to provide fire protection access.
“If I wanted to put a house on that land, I couldn’t build it 25 feet from the road,” Todd Burbage, developer and nearby property owner, said.
Burbage was both the most vocal supporter of the project and the most concerned about the view.
Dane Bauer, managing director of local civil engineering firm Daft McCune Walker, said the setback area measured about 75 feet in total, which didn’t relieve all of Burbage’s concerns.
“I support this project — I just don’t want to see it,” Burbage said.
Burbage said his original intention was to ask for a 300-foot setback, which representatives of the project’s developers, Longview Solar, said would kill the project. Burbage said 100 feet would be appropriate.
“My favorite asset in my portfolio is at the end of that road,” he said, adding he would sooner live in a doghouse than sell that particular property.
“We can provide a good screen at 25 feet — 100 feet is extreme. We look forward to working with the county and community to work with a 25-foot buffer,” said Longview Solar’s Jason Evans.
Bauer explained that Longview had many options for a vegetative buffer: trees, shrubs and grasses, but wasn’t married to any particular option.
Several choices regarding the configuration of such a barrier were discussed, but ultimately the parties agreed to consider a berm, or small hill, surrounding the farm that could then be covered with a mix of vegetation to provide the proper camouflage.
“A solar farm is a good neighbor, because it’s quiet. I want to see this project through,” Mark Odachowski said.
Odachowski said he had no personal interest in the screen, but wanted to smooth the path between Burbage’s concerns and the company’s needs.
Burbage noted Public Landing Road is a designated Maryland Scenic Byway, which a State Highway Administration spokesman said carries little formal legal protection from projects like this. However, the spokesman said SHA prefers to work with counties directly on projects that involve designated highways rather than enforce rules and regulations.
Longview Solar, which is headquartered in Seattle and has an office in Baltimore, is proposing a 125-acre, 15-megawatt facility located about one-quarter of a mile from the intersection of Route 113 and Public Landing Road. The facility is proposed to more or less run the length of the northerly side of Public Landing Road until the area of Mt. Wesley Road lengthwise and will cover most of the area south of the treeline, except for a few houses located along the road.
Documents related to the project are available through the PSC’s website: www.psc.state.md.us and can be found by referencing case number 9405. The filing contains maps, and more than one hundred pages of documents and exhibits.
Written comments about the project, also referencing case 9405, can be filed until April 29, 2016 and addressed to PSC Executive Secretary David Collins at 6 St. Paul Street in Baltimore, 21202.
The concerns are the setback and the density of a vegetative buffer that will be used to obscure the farm from view. As now laid out, the project would include 25 feet of vegetation, plus space for a fence and a road to provide fire protection access.
“If I wanted to put a house on that land, I couldn’t build it 25 feet from the road,” Todd Burbage, developer and nearby property owner, said.
Burbage was both the most vocal supporter of the project and the most concerned about the view.
Dane Bauer, managing director of local civil engineering firm Daft McCune Walker, said the setback area measured about 75 feet in total, which didn’t relieve all of Burbage’s concerns.
“I support this project — I just don’t want to see it,” Burbage said.
Burbage said his original intention was to ask for a 300-foot setback, which representatives of the project’s developers, Longview Solar, said would kill the project. Burbage said 100 feet would be appropriate.
“My favorite asset in my portfolio is at the end of that road,” he said, adding he would sooner live in a doghouse than sell that particular property.
“We can provide a good screen at 25 feet — 100 feet is extreme. We look forward to working with the county and community to work with a 25-foot buffer,” said Longview Solar’s Jason Evans.
Bauer explained that Longview had many options for a vegetative buffer: trees, shrubs and grasses, but wasn’t married to any particular option.
Several choices regarding the configuration of such a barrier were discussed, but ultimately the parties agreed to consider a berm, or small hill, surrounding the farm that could then be covered with a mix of vegetation to provide the proper camouflage.
“A solar farm is a good neighbor, because it’s quiet. I want to see this project through,” Mark Odachowski said.
Odachowski said he had no personal interest in the screen, but wanted to smooth the path between Burbage’s concerns and the company’s needs.
Burbage noted Public Landing Road is a designated Maryland Scenic Byway, which a State Highway Administration spokesman said carries little formal legal protection from projects like this. However, the spokesman said SHA prefers to work with counties directly on projects that involve designated highways rather than enforce rules and regulations.
Longview Solar, which is headquartered in Seattle and has an office in Baltimore, is proposing a 125-acre, 15-megawatt facility located about one-quarter of a mile from the intersection of Route 113 and Public Landing Road. The facility is proposed to more or less run the length of the northerly side of Public Landing Road until the area of Mt. Wesley Road lengthwise and will cover most of the area south of the treeline, except for a few houses located along the road.
Documents related to the project are available through the PSC’s website: www.psc.state.md.us and can be found by referencing case number 9405. The filing contains maps, and more than one hundred pages of documents and exhibits.
Written comments about the project, also referencing case 9405, can be filed until April 29, 2016 and addressed to PSC Executive Secretary David Collins at 6 St. Paul Street in Baltimore, 21202.