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Planning Board conditionally approves Continental Paving solar plan with multiple waivers; board requires AOT permit, easement note and neighbor approval for f(
Summary
Continental Paving’s site plan to place a 24‑acre solar array in a gravel pit was conditionally approved by the Loudon Planning Board after the board granted multiple partial waivers and added three conditions addressing tree cutting near abutters, an AOT permit and a driveway‑easement note.
Continental Paving presented a site-development application (25-16) to install a ground‑mounted solar array on a roughly 76‑acre portion of a former sand and gravel pit that straddles Loudon and neighboring towns. The company said the project would place about 24 acres of solar panels within an approximately 76‑acre Loudon portion; total site disturbance associated with panels, access and drainage would be about 30 acres.
The applicant described on-site drainage controls (an infiltration pond and an overflow swale that discharges toward the Suncook River), an access arrangement that historically uses an existing gravel road from the Pembroke side, and an electrical tie that will connect to an existing three‑phase pole on the Pembroke side of the pit. The presenter said wetlands were field‑mapped only in the area within the proposed limits of work and that no other wetlands were located inside the proposed work area.
The board considered and approved a long list of partial waivers tailored to the site and the nature of a solar installation: landscape and planting requirements, lighting plans, parking and circulation standards, driveway dimensional rules for public streets, plan scales and the extent of existing contour and wetland mapping for a very large parcel. The applicant explained that the solar arrays require low vegetation beneath the racks and that plantings or trees would impede panel performance; the board agreed that the requested landscaping waivers were appropriate provided certain buffers remain.
Concerns and conditions: board members and Conservation staff asked that tree cutting not expand beyond what was shown on the plan adjacent to residential properties. The board required three conditions as part of its approval: 1) add a plan note that no additional cutting of trees shall occur unless approved by the affected abutters (to preserve buffers); 2) obtain and provide proof of the AOT (Alteration of Terrain) permit and add a corresponding note on the plan; and 3) add a plan note stating a written driveway easement will be provided if the Pembroke lot (the access parcel on the Pembroke side) is ever sold, to preserve lawful access to the array.
The board discussed decommissioning and long‑term disposal of panels. Applicants said panels have an approximate 40‑year life expectancy and that the company contracts with a firm that recycles solar panels; board members said they expect the town to avoid future liability and suggested a decommissioning plan or surety could be appropriate though the board did not adopt a bond requirement as a condition at this meeting. The board said it would consider additional language if staff and legal counsel recommend it.
The board voted to approve the application conditionally, with the three conditions above, and granted the waivers summarized in staff materials. Staff will require the applicant to record the AOT approval and to add the required plan notes before final file closure.
