More solar in Manlius?
By David Tyler
Another solar farm may be coming to the town of Manlius.
Renewable Properties, a solar energy company based in San Francisco, has proposed construction of a 1.6-megawatt community solar installation at 7390 Kirkville Road. That amount of power could supply energy to about 327 homes.
The site is located just east of East Syracuse Minoa High School on the south side of Kirkville Road. There are two homes immediately to the north of the site, but the developer said that a natural buffer of trees will make it nearly invisible to neighboring properties.
“There is a good wooded screen already there,” said Robert Switala, an engineer with Bergmann Associates which is working with Renewable Properties on the project.
Community solar arrays allow customers to buy shares of the energy output, which are then applied as a credit on their energy bills. In the past year, four other community solar arrays have been approved in the town of Manlius and another array is being considered for the site of the town’s landfill on Bowman Road.
The Kirkville Road project would occupy about seven acres of the 27-acre parcel. The remaining acreage would be left undisturbed.
Renewable Properties currently has six active solar arrays in four states, with projects totaling 300 megawatts in the pipeline.
If the Manlius Planning Board approves the site plan and grants a special use permit, Renewable Properties is targeting the summer of 2021 to begin construction. Construction is estimated to take between three and four months.
Hearing planned for Hoag Lane subdivision
By David Tyler
Residents of the Hoag Lane area will once again have the opportunity to comment on the proposed Woodland Hills subdivision, a 21-home project proposed near Hoag and Shiraz lanes.
On Monday, Jan. 11, the Manlius Planning Board accepted a draft environmental impact statement from the developer, Tom Douglas. The lengthy report was prepared after the planning board determined in August that the project would have a significant environmental impact, requiring the developer to respond to a series of questions about mitigating those impacts. Board members noted that accepting the statement does not imply that they agreed with the developer’s mitigation plans, only that the statement had been fully prepared.
Town engineer Doug Miller said his office was going through the lengthy report and preparing a response for the planning board. He expected that would be available in the next few days.
Miller and the developer’s engineering team have clashed over the past two years over issues related to stormwater drainage and the volume of earth that would need to be moved in the construction process.
The developer also hit a nerve with several board members when trees and brush on the property were removed before any site approvals were given.
The acceptance of the draft environment statement kicks off a 30-day public comment period, followed by a public hearing. The board tentatively scheduled the hearing for Feb. 22. Planning board chairman Joe Lupia said the board would consider what type of venue would be suitable for the hearing, considering both the high interest in the project as well as safety protocols during the pandemic. Past hearings on the project have drawn large crowds and strong opposition.
