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CCRPC approves preferred-site letters for two 500 kW solar projects, supports VELCO substation upgrade
Summary
Regina Mahony presented staff recommendations supporting preferred-site designation letters for two 500 kW solar arrays in Bolton and Colchester and a finding of conformity for VELCO’s Sandbar Substation upgrade in Milton; the committee approved letters to the Vermont Public Utility Commission clerk for all three items.
The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Executive & Finance Committee approved three letters to the Vermont Public Utility Commission clerk on March 4, 2020, backing local energy projects and a transmission upgrade.
Regina Mahony, planning manager, explained PUC review stages and presented a preferred-site request from Encore Renewable Development for a proposed 500 kW solar array on Roosevelt Highway in Bolton. Staff recommended designation as a preferred site because the draft plan advances goals in the CCRPC’s 2018 ECOS Plan to increase renewable energy generation. Members discussed local scenic and aesthetic considerations and acknowledged the PUC’s aesthetic review.
Mahony also presented a preferred-site request for a second 500 kW array in Colchester on U.S. Routes 7 and 2 (parcel owned by Duane and Norma Juaire). CCRPC staff supported a preferred-site letter but identified potential impacts to State "possible constraints," specifically agricultural soils and hydric soils, and urged coordination with State agencies to minimize impacts. The committee approved sending the letter to the PUC clerk.
Finally, Mahony reviewed a Section 248 petition from VELCO for upgrades at the Sandbar Substation at 586 Bear Trap Road in Milton. CCRPC staff concluded the project conforms to the 2018 ECOS Plan because it replaces existing infrastructure without expanding the existing impervious substation yard. The committee approved a letter to the PUC clerk supporting that finding.
All three motions to send letters to Judith Whitney, clerk of the Vermont Public Utility Commission, were made and carried unanimously.
