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Keene ZBA unanimously approves variance for Cedar Crest solar array at Monadnock View Cemetery
Summary
The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a variance to allow a medium-scale ground-mounted solar energy system on about 1.6 acres of cemetery land to be added to Cedar Crest Inc.'s parcel, enabling a system that Revision Energy says will offset roughly 67% of the nonprofit's electricity use.
The Keene Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to approve a variance allowing Cedar Crest Inc. to install a medium-scale ground-mounted solar energy system on approximately 1.6 acres adjacent to Monadnock View Cemetery and to incorporate that land into Cedar Crest's parcel via a lot-line adjustment.
The board's decision clears a zoning prohibition in the Conservation District and allows the project as proposed by Revision Energy, the developer representing Cedar Crest. Megan Yulin, a project developer with Revision Energy, told the board the proposed ground-mounted system is necessary because “their facility requires electricity demand of around 543 kilowatt hours per year, and their lot size and building roofline is not sufficient to accommodate a system that would meaningfully offset that electricity usage.” She said the proposed ground-mounted array would offset about 67% of Cedar Crest's electricity usage.
The variance applies to a roughly 1.6-acre portion of land that is currently zoned Conservation and is part of Monadnock View Cemetery. City staff reported the area is not viable for burial plots because of underground utility lines and lacks wetlands, steep slopes, or identified sensitive habitat. The applicant said the site is already maintained as open field and partially used for community garden plots, and that the solar location would allow the city to continue and expand community garden uses on the remainder of the field.
Revision Energy described the planned array as roughly 30,000–32,000 square feet sited at the rear (northwest) corner of the cemetery, screened from most public view by a line of mature trees and by carports at the neighboring Parkwood Apartments. The developer said manufacturer specifications show modern panels reflect less than 2% of incoming sunlight and that glare is typically less than standing water or window reflection; the developer added that existing vegetation was modeled into the project's production and shading analyses.
Deputy City Manager Andy Bohannon sent a letter of support, read into the record, stating the city manager has been authorized by the City Council to execute an agreement for the land sale and that the project is consistent with the comprehensive master plan and the Energy and Climate Committee's renewable-energy initiatives. Bohannon's letter said the location is “not in view of the public way and is buffered to the south by large pines and carports from Parkwood Apartments” and that the project supports a local nonprofit as an energy offtaker.
Board deliberations addressed the variance criteria required under the city’s land development code. Board members who spoke said the parcel’s special conditions — buried utilities, lack of conservation features on that corner of the cemetery, and the small lot size of Cedar Crest’s existing parcel — make strict application of Conservation District permitted uses impracticable. The board noted a previous 2024 zoning decision permitting a city-run solar project in the general area and said the current proposal is smaller and less intrusive than earlier plans that required setback variances.
Attorney Hapik moved to approve ZBA 2025-01 without conditions; Ed Guyot seconded. The board voted 4–0 in favor, with Adam Burke recused for conflict of interest. The motion was recorded as approved by the voting members present.
The approval allows Cedar Crest to proceed with a lot-line adjustment to add the 1.6-acre area to its roughly 5-acre parcel (creating approximately 6.6 acres under Cedar Crest ownership) and to site the proposed ground-mounted array inside the resulting parcel. The city letter indicates the City Council has authorized the land sale; the board's action is a land-use variance and does not itself complete the property transfer, lot-line adjustment or any construction permitting.
Other routine business at the meeting included approval of officer appointments and administrative items. The board elected Richard Clough as chair and Ed Guyot as vice chair and approved the minutes of the previous meeting and the board's schedule for the year; those procedural votes were recorded as unanimous.
