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Suffolk Council Denies White Marsh Road Solar Conditional-Use Permit After Residents Cite Inverter Noise
Summary
Council voted 7–0 (with one abstention) to deny a conditional-use permit for a 5 MW solar project on White Marsh Road after residents and council members raised concerns about noise from inverters and construction haul routes; staff had added a noise-exhibit condition but some council members said it was insufficient.
Suffolk City Council on Dec. 18 denied a conditional-use permit application for a community-scale solar facility on White Marsh Road, citing unresolved concerns about noise from inverters and proximity to residences.
Director of Planning Kevin Wine summarized the revised staff recommendation, which included a new Condition No. 9 requiring adherence to a submitted noise study and granting the council authority to revoke the permit if actual noise measurements exceed the approved exhibit. The project would have generated about 5 megawatts and enclosed roughly 14 acres of the site; the larger property totals about 137 acres with most land in a conservation easement.
Residents and nearby property owners described audible, low-frequency noise from inverters at a nearby Stratford Solar installation and urged stricter protections. "There were some hay bales rolled in front of the inverters — they helped a little bit — but the problem is frequency, not decibels," said Council member Recker recounting a site visit. Southside speakers and neighbors asked for stronger mitigation or different inverter placement.
Council member Bennett moved to deny the permit; Council member Johnson seconded. The motion to deny passed with seven affirmative votes and one abstention from Council member Fawcett.
Council discussion focused on whether the condition tying the permit to a noise exhibit provided enough enforcement and on the difficulties measuring frequency-based or harmonic noise with conventional decibel standards. Wine said his office required exhibits that show transformer and inverter placement and that this application located the inverters toward the interior of the site. "The noise exhibit condition strengthens the application and furthers our enforcement capabilities," he said, while acknowledging ongoing work to refine noise-mitigation standards.
Planning commissioners had recommended approval by a 4–3 vote at their October meeting.
The denial leaves applicants and staff to decide next steps, including potential redesign, additional mitigation, or a future reapplication.
