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Developer asks Orangetown to exempt projects with prior applications from battery moratorium
Summary
A developer seeking to build a Route 303 battery storage project asked the board to amend a proposed moratorium so projects with applications filed before July 1 can proceed; the board said it intends to use the moratorium to revise zoning and ensure public-safety standards, while allowing hardship waivers in some cases.
Adam Farkas, developer of a proposed battery project on Route 303 in Orangeburg, asked the Orangetown Town Board during public comment to amend a proposed moratorium so projects with applications submitted before July 1 may continue through the approval process. Farkas said his team submitted a building permit in November 2025, followed by planning applications in January and May 2026, and that the project has already engaged consultants and the planning board.
"I'm here tonight to ask for an amendment to the proposed local law imposing a moratorium on battery projects and allowing the battery projects which have had applications in prior to July 1 to continue with the approval process," Farkas said, and offered to provide revised language for the board's review after the meeting. He also said the project would enter into a community host agreement and identified potential benefits including grid improvements, reduced emissions and tax revenue for the town.
Supervisor Theresa Kenny responded that the moratorium is intended to give the town time to address zoning and public-safety questions raised by technology not covered in older zoning codes. She noted a provision for hardship waivers and said staff (AKRF consultant engagement referenced) will help the town identify appropriate siting rules. "It's not that we are against them per se... the plan was to say, look, we need to back up," she said.
The board did not vote on the moratorium amendment at the meeting and asked the developer to submit revised language for town review; the board indicated it will consider waiver requests where appropriate while the zoning update proceeds.
