Politics & Government
Solar Farm Dissent Shows Few Signs of Letting Up
Residents protesting the construction of a solar panel farm have grown so numerous the next hearings have been moved to Bedminster School to accommodate the crowd.
Questions about placing a 40,484-panel solar farm project on an old farm continued at a Thursday night land use board hearing. About 100 residents showed up for the presentation that proposes putting the solar panels at the Kirby farm at Country Club Road, according to an article on MyCentralJersey.com.
The electricity generated by the panels would supply the needs of sanofi-aventis, located in Bridgewater, for 20 years, KDC Solar officials said at the meeting.
Residents fear the solar farm would have a negative impact on property values, while the developer try to assuage them by noting the panels would cover a small part of the farm and not be viewable to passing motorists. Thomas Lynch, a KDC executive vice president, said that the project could bring in $75,000 in property taxes, versus 104 acres zoned for farming that now generate only $464 in property tax revenue, according to a MyCentralJersey.com report.
The hearings, which have been moved to Bedminister School to accommodate the crowd, are expected to continue through 2014. The next hearing is slated for Dec. 5.
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