Conditional Use Permit for Pine Creek Township Solar Farm Passed
By Christopher Miller
PINE CREEK TOWNSHIP – A proposed solar farm for Pine Creek Township was approved with conditions in late-December.
In early and mid-November, Pine Creek Township Supervisors held a conditional use hearing for Pine Creek Solar 64, LLC’s proposed 13-acre solar farm along Sulphur Run Road in the township.
Residents showed up to both hearings to learn about the project and voice their concerns.
Concerns of noise, visual appeal, property values, and other items were heard from residents in both meetings.
Real Estate Appraiser Dennis C. Greenaway also presented his findings and experience as a real estate appraiser, having worked with solar farms and panels in the past.
The conditions outlined for the project are below:
- Maximum height of equipment shall not exceed twenty feet (20′).
- Applicant shall pave the first twenty (20′) feet of any roadway/driveway used for access to the project during the construction phase of the project.
- Applicant shall obtain a minimum of two (2) estimates for the decommissioning of panels/equipment and shall have a bond issued for a minimum period twenty- five (25) years at a rate of two hundred percent (200%) of the median quote, as approved by the Township engineer.
- Applicant shall install sufficient landscaping.
- Compliance with all necessary permitting.
- No on-site power storage or usage permitted.
- Reimbursement of costs of additional training for emergency responders.
