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Resident proposes community solar over stormwater basins; township staff says zoning limits off‑site supply
Summary
During public comment, resident Lou Rubinfield proposed siting community-scale solar panels over stormwater basins to serve developments; township solicitor and staff said state rules and the zoning ordinance currently limit mid‑scale community systems and restrict panels from supplying off‑site customers.
A Charlestown resident urged the Planning Commission on Jan. 13 to explore community-scale solar for housing developments, suggesting panels could be sited above stormwater basins and connected to an equipment building to supply power to the development.
"I would put them over top of stormwater basins in the development and have an equipment building that the power is fed into," resident Lou Rubinfield said during the public-comment period.
Commission members and township officials responded that the existing regulatory framework is unclear for mid-size community systems. Solicitor Wendy McLean said state rules address large solar farms and rooftop installations but do not currently regulate the systems that fall between those categories: "there are currently state level regulations for large solar farms and individual ones on structures, but there are no regulations for ones in between them." Township Manager Chris Heleniak added that the township zoning ordinance typically limits panels to supplying the property they serve and not off‑site consumption.
Commissioners asked follow-up questions about feasibility and siting. Commissioner Andy Motel asked where panels would be placed; Mr. Rubinfield repeated his basin‑top proposal. Consultant Dan Wright observed that advances in panel technology can help address stormwater runoff concerns. Commissioners also noted that some houses already have rooftop panels but that attached townhouses may lack feasible roof mounting.
No formal action was taken; staff and consultants outlined regulatory and technical constraints and indicated that ordinance language and state rules would need review before the township could promote or permit community-scale systems sited to serve multiple customers.
