East Aurora Advertiser

Temporary Solar Farm Ban Enacted in Marilla



The Town of Marilla has placed a six-month moratorium on all solar farm projects. This law was passed at a recent board meeting without any comments from the public during the public hearing.  

During this time, the town board will not approve any large-scale projects, and the three advisory boards will not review or make recommendations on solar farm requests.

The purpose of the law is to allow the town board and advisory boards time before considering additional projects. There is currently a solar project under construction on Bullis Road that was approved in 2021. It is managed by Renewable Energy, a San Francisco firm, and when complete it will cover about 22-acres of space on a 45-acre-lot. 

While the town did list the public hearing for the moratorium as one that would halt “solar farms,” Supervisor Earl Gingerich, Jr. said that they should be referred to as “solar projects” because they do not meet the definition of a farm. Gingerich said that these are commercial projects that are subsidized by taxpayers. He also said that there were issues with the last project and the town was looking to make changes. The verbiage is just one issue that the board hopes to address in the additional time provided by the moratorium.

Town Board Approves Solar Farm Project for Bullis Road

“Over $600,000 of your money went to make people rich in California with the last project we approved,” Gingerich said. “All of the solar companies that I know of are coming from other states. They are sucking our money out. They cannot stand on their own.”

Before the last project was officially approved by the town board, Gingerich was advocating for the labor on the project to come from Western New York and for the materials to be sourced domestically. Renewable Energy’s Vice-President of Development Stephanie Loucas said in a letter dated April 7, 2022, to Gingerich,“While it is possible that a contractor might be headquartered out of state, they will certainly have a New York office and utilize labor within the state to construct the project.”

www.eastaurorany.com/articles/town-asks-solar-farm-company-to-focus-on-local-supply-chain/

In other business, the town board approved the environmental review documents for the proposed Dollar General on Clinton Street. This approval was delayed on April 14 after a vote of three to two because Gingerich said it was discovered that the land that the business is proposed for is a state-certified agricultural district. Gingerich said that more time will allow the developer, Broadway Group, LLC., to correct the information on the forms, which had said it was zoned as a business district. The forms were approved at the May meeting.

The town board will meet again on June 9 at 7 p.m. for a work session in the town hall, located on Two Rod Road. A meeting will immediately follow the work session.


Planning Board to Conduct Review of Solar, Wind Energy Codes

 

The solar panels installed near the Village of East Aurora Department of Public Works on Pine Street in 2014, were supposed to save the village about $2,500 per year in electricity costs. File Photo 2015, Submitted Image.

 

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