County planners flag multiple engineering, regulatory gaps in proposed Mahoning Township solar park

Carbon County planning staff told the Planning Commission that a proposed commercial solar energy generation facility in Mahoning Township — identified in the record as a Milo Enterprises project on Ashtown Road — lacks key engineering, permitting and survey documentation and raises potential floodplain, stormwater and emergency-access concerns.

“I recommend plan rejection of the project as proposed” if the noted conditions are not adequately addressed, Carbon County planning staff said, listing missing items that county and state agencies will require before final approval.

The county review said the application proposes about 10.08 acres of earth disturbance, 5,400 ground-mounted panels shown on the submitted plan, and testimony before Mahoning Township supervisors estimating roughly 5,800–5,900 panels. The parcel lies largely in mapped FEMA floodplain and contains an existing sewer easement and an overhead PPL utility corridor. County staff said the Mahoning Township conditional-use approval does not remove the applicant’s responsibility to provide the documentation required by township and state rules.

County reviewers flagged a list of missing or incomplete items including: a complete perimeter survey showing bearings and distances; certification of ownership and surveyor seal on plan documents; a stormwater management and soil erosion control plan; National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) documentation from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) because the proposed earth disturbance exceeds one acre; floodplain delineation detail; preliminary environmental resources and conservation analyses; complete stormwater calculations; fire‑apparatus access and reliable water‑supply evidence for firefighting; and clearer drawings showing the sewer line, transformer location and the proposed underground electric conduit.

County reviewers also recommended transportation and construction access plans because the proposal would use a single‑lane stone bridge on Ashtown Road and heavy‑vehicle traffic could require road bonding or other financial assurance for potential roadway and bridge repairs. The review additionally noted the plan does not show adequate internal access lanes between arrays for emergency and maintenance vehicles given steep slopes near Mahoning Creek, which Carbon County staff described as a high‑quality cold water fishery.

Carbon County planning staff recommended that Mahoning Township and the applicant provide the full slate of township and county required documentation and complete permitting from the Carbon County Conservation District and PA DEP before the county would recommend final approval. The county review also said that, absent adequate mitigation, the planning commission should recommend plan rejection to Mahoning Township.

The Planning Commission voted to forward the county’s review comments to Mahoning Township supervisors. The motion to send the comments passed by voice vote; the meeting record does not show a named mover or recorded roll‑call tally.

The county review noted other detailed technical items: inconsistency in the panel counts, incomplete floodplain mapping on the plan, lack of submitted stormwater outlet design to Ashtown Road, an apparent conflict where an underground conduit is shown crossing a proposed stormwater outlet and sewer, and missing minimum sight‑distance and access‑drive section drawings. The review also stated that Mahoning Township may require an environmental impact statement depending on the planning commission or board of supervisors’ assessment of size, site features and project characteristics.

The county staff memo advised that the Mahoning Township land development ordinance requires that final plan approval may follow only after unconditional preliminary plan approval and fulfillment of conditions, including an approved soil‑erosion and sedimentation control plan as deemed adequate by the Carbon County Conservation District and PA DEP, and any related permits. That regulatory context was included in the county’s recommendation to Mahoning Township supervisors.

The county planning file will be transmitted with the written comments for Mahoning Township’s review; the Planning Commission’s vote instructs staff to forward those comments rather than granting county approval of the plan.

If Mahoning Township or the applicant submits revised materials addressing the listed deficiencies, the county review said those materials would need reexamination before any county recommendation of approval.

Provenance: The county presentation of the review began when staff introduced the project as the final item in the subdivision section and described the site, floodplain extent, panel counts and required permits. The planning commission recorded a motion to forward the county review comments to Mahoning Township supervisors and approved that motion.