Six new solar farms proposed on Carroll farmland, where they are prohibited by local law

Six Proposed Solar Farms in Carroll County Challenge Zoning Code

Six new solar-generating farms are proposed for agricultural land in Carroll County, even though solar farms are prohibited on farmland in the county’s zoning code.

Background

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners will now be forced to address the issue again. The commissioners have voted to keep solar farms off agricultural land, but the state has the final say on such projects.

A year ago, after several public hearings, work sessions, and a recommendation from the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission, commissioners adopted an ordinance stating that solar energy-generating facilities are not allowed on farmland in the county; instead, they should be built on land zoned for commercial and industrial use.

State Approval

But commissioners learned at their meeting Thursday that the Maryland Public Service Commission, a state agency that regulates gas, electric, telephone, water, and sewer disposal companies in the state, is currently processing applications for six proposed solar facilities in Carroll County on properties zoned for agriculture.

Should the agency approve and issue each of the six proposed solar facilities special Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity, the county’s zoning restrictions on agricultural land could be disregarded.

Addressing the Issue

To address the possibility, commissioners voted unanimously to ask the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission to examine and recommend changes to the zoning code. These would include new stipulations intended to protect residential neighborhoods near agricultural land where a solar farm could be built.

The zoning code prohibition on solar farms on agricultural land would remain in place.

“This is a challenging situation that the PSC has the ability to override our own jurisdiction,” District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein said.

Christopher Heyn, director of the county’s Department of Planning and Land Management agreed.

“Our prohibition of these projects on agricultural land can be overridden [by the state],” he said. “That being said, the Public Service Commission does say they will take into consideration local zoning codes in their decisions.

“I would suspect that at least some of these projects that have made applications will probably get their certificate and will be able to move forward even though our zoning use says they’re not allowed,” he said.

Heyn said even though the state will likely issue the permits, the proposed solar farms will still need to go through the county’s zoning process.

“They will then have to go through the site plan process with us because they are disturbing property,” he said. “Our recommendation is that we establish some basic guidelines so that when these projects come in, they will have something to be reviewed against.”

Commissioners agreed that guidelines need to be in place.

“We need to have some rules and regulations if we’re going to control what could possibly happen,” said Commissioners’ President Ken Kiler, who represents District 2.

District 4 Commissioner Michael Guerin proposed holding work sessions to discuss any new guidelines.

“I agree that we need to do something, but I think more discussion needs to be made as to what some of these requirements are,” Guerin said. “The view and siting issues are actually paramount. I think the people’s views in residential areas really matter. That has to be part of this.”

The process will include several work sessions, along with a public hearing.

Heyn suggested that commissioners have something new in place quickly, since the state is slated to have its own public hearing on a solar proposal in October.

One of the six applications includes an application from Chaberton Solar Pine Rock, which is looking to build a 3.0-megawatt solar farm on 18 acres of agricultural land at 1151 Sullivan Road in Westminster.

Originally Published: July 26, 2024 at 5:28 p.m.

Source: baltimoresun.com