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Hamlin board hears farm-protection pleas as it opens public hearing on Local Law No. 1-2026
Summary
Hamlin's town board opened a public hearing on Local Law No. 1-2026, proposing to limit larger solar fields to small industrial strips and strengthen decommissioning requirements. Farmers and residents urged protections for prime soils and questioned local benefits and environmental impacts.
The Hamlin Town Board opened a public hearing on Local Law No. 1-2026, a zoning change that would reclassify larger "tier 3 and 4" solar projects and restrict them to the town's limited industrial zones. David Martin, a town board member who introduced the proposal, said the law redefines project tiers and tightens decommissioning standards to protect landowners and the town.
"We've moved that from residential low density in the residential agricultural areas. We basically restricted it to industrial zones," David Martin said while outlining the changes, adding that decommissioning rules were tightened with a roughly 15-year review horizon. The board displayed a map showing only a few narrow industrial strips where large solar fields would be permitted.
Public comment at the hearing was dominated by farmers and long-time residents who urged preserving Hamlin's agricultural character. Several speakers cited Monroe County soil maps and described farming heritage as a reason to keep large-scale solar off prime soils. The board said rooftop solar for homeowners would remain allowed under the proposal.
The hearing closed after questions about bonds, site cleanup and where electricity from local projects would be routed. The chair moved to close the hearing and said the board will vote on the local law later tonight or at a subsequent meeting.
