Decisive vote expected from Buffalo Township supervisors on proposed solar farms

After a summerlong controversy surrounding two proposed solar farms, Buffalo Township supervisors are expected to cast a final vote to approve or reject the projects at their meeting Wednesday night.

A vote already has been delayed twice. The first holdup happened in June after a group of residents opposed to the projects urged supervisors to further research the farms before taking a vote.

Again last month, supervisors shelved the motions because the project’s developer, Atlanta-­based SolAmerica, couldn’t attend the supervisors meeting.

But if supervisors were to delay the vote again, they would exceed a 60-day deadline to make a decision, according to Buffalo solicitor Brian Farrington.

In that case, the projects automatically would be deemed approved.

Farrington said he would urge supervisors to take a decisive vote Wednesday.

Another delay could occur at the request of SolAmerica, but Farrington said the company plans to be present at the meeting.

SolAmerica is requesting permission to install the solar arrays on a 19-acre parcel along Grimm Road and an 81-acre spot off Bear Creek Road.

The panels would use only a fraction of the land at each site, according to Michael Kissinger, an engineer with Pennoni engineering, representing SolAmerica.

At previous township meetings, Kissinger said panels at the Grimm Road site would be on about 2.5 acres, with a total of 8 acres surrounded by an 8-foot-high wooden slat fence.

At the Bear Creek Road site, the panels would take up about 3.5 acres with a total of 14 acres screened off with fencing and vegetation.

Approval of the project would allow for the installation of hundreds of 4-foot-wide by 8-foot-tall solar panels. The panels would rotate throughout the day to attract the most sunlight possible.

The electricity generated at the sites would be channeled into the regional electrical grid for distribution to power company customers.

According to Kissinger, the panels are solid and contain no chemical liquids that might leak.

The proposal has met stiff resistance from Buffalo Township neighbors and residents since it was announced in May.

Many have expressed concerns about potential glare from the farms and the effect the sites could have on neighboring property values.

Others have noted changes the development could make to the character of the largely rural community and its wildlife.

But Kissinger emphasized the solar farms are permitted as a conditional use in Buffalo Township, and SolAmerica is not requesting any zoning variances for the projects.

The meeting is set to take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday.