HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-24Review 669Rte163 LeaseTown PropertySolarArray LUDirComments 082223TOWN OF MONTVILLE OFFICE OF THE PLANNING DIRECTOR
310 Norwich-New London Turnpike, Uncasville, CT 06382 Telephone: (860) 848-6779 Email: lburdick@montville-ct.org MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
August 22, 2023 PZC Meeting Prepared by Liz Burdick, Planning Director
on 08/22/23
Property Address: 669 Route 163 (Parcel ID 038-056-000) Oakdale, CT (Transfer Station/Capped Landfill Site) Application: C.G. S. § 8-24 Review Report to Town Council for Lease of Town Property for Development of a Solar Array on Existing Capped Landfill.
The proposed new solar landfill project should have been referred to the PZC for an 8-24
review before being approved by the Council. In this case, the 8-24 review fell through
the cracks. At the advice of Attorney Matthew Willis, it has been added to the 8/22/23 PZC agenda as an “after the fact” review as the lease for the project was approved by the Town Council on 12/23/21.
It should be noted, as shown below, the PZC report is advisory, but if its unfavorable, the Town Council shall approve it by a two-thirds vote.
Mayor Ronald McDaniel stated the following regarding the lease of Town land for the
project “Under the NRES program, any array can’t be larger than any municipal Eversource accounts that don’t already have a solar incentive tied to them. That is why
we chose to tie in Town Hall and Public Works accounts.
Concerning the bill credit vs. lease, the financial benefits are essentially the same for the Town whether we go with the lease payments or the bill credits. If anything, the lease
completely eliminates any risk for the Town that the solar array doesn't perform as
expected over time. We get paid a flat rate, no matter what happens. The fact is, we
would have to put a lease in place with Verogy, regardless, so the document that's been signed is always going to be relevant.
Concerning the value of the project for the Town, I offer my perspective on the issue
which is: we have a capped landfill that's becoming an overgrown nightmare with no other economic use. Trees are literally growing out of the cap at this point. There is no
other practical way to monetize this property (that I can think of, anyway), yet Verogy is
going to pay $40,000/year to operate the array from a small footprint on the property. The site is not large, by any means, and its actually quite difficult terrain to work with. The two other bidders on the project, while qualified, offered less compensation to the Town,
so that's a good way to judge the market value of the property.
Concerning the cap questions, at the end of the day, if the project causes any issues
with the cap, it's Verogy's responsibility to correct them. The project is designed so that
there are no impacts to the cap per the requirements of DEEP.”
Staff Recommendation: FAVORABLE REPORT.
The following Motion is suggested for any favorable recommendation: I make a Motion to forward a FAVORABLE REPORT in accordance with C.G.S. § 8-24 to the Town Council for the lease of Town property at 669 Route 163 (Parcel ID 038-056-000) Oakdale, CT (Transfer Station/Capped Landfill Site) for development of a solar array on the existing capped landfill as shown on a plan entitled “Town of Montville Landfill Solar PV Development, 669 Route 163, Montville, CT, Prepared by Weston & Sampson Engineers, Inc., Dated June 6, 2023, Revised to 8/4/23” in that the project provides a financial benefit to the Town of Montville, that the project is an adaptive reuse of an existing capped landfill that will be maintained by the Lessee and that alternative energy
sources, such as solar arrays, are sustainable practices encouraged in the Plan of Conservation & Development.
Should the Commission vote to forward an unfavorable report to the Town Council, it
shall state the reasons for same.