Neighbors press developers on glare, farmland and decommissioning at Ancram solar hearing

Several neighbors addressed the planning board during the Ancram Solar public hearing, expressing concern about visibility, glare, farmland conversion and long‑term financial assurances.

"I think there's a fair amount of distance for all of us," said Lawrence Goldberg, an adjacent neighbor, asking how the 9.4‑acre disturbance would affect nearby homes and whether liability would be covered if the project were owned by a small LLC. The chair replied that a decommissioning bond will be required before construction and can be adjusted over time to reflect market and labor costs.

Jeff Baker, owner of Hill Rock Farm and Distillery, said he could see the site from several nearby roads and asked if a glare analysis had been performed. The applicant's presenter said the modules use anti‑reflective coatings and that, while no site‑specific glare study had been performed, tracking racking and standard coatings keep glare below harmful thresholds. Several residents urged the developer to expand view‑shed photography to private roadways and to meet directly with adjacent property owners; the applicant said they had met the immediately adjacent property owners and would provide contact information and additional screening where feasible.

A public commenter read a written statement arguing that utility‑scale solar relies on government subsidies and could impose disposal liabilities if projects fail; the applicant responded by describing the decommissioning plan, the bonding mechanism in the application and the materials used in modern modules.