Planning board opens public hearing on Anchor Solar project; declares lead agency

The Ancram Planning Board opened a public hearing on a special-use permit and site-plan application from Anchor Solar PV LLC, after a motion to declare the planning board the lead agency for environmental review carried at the April meeting. The applicant, represented by Rick Energy, described a community solar array on a parcel off State Route 82 that would use under 10 acres of disturbance and produce about 957 kW AC (just under 1 MW).

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Sierra Hopkins. I'm an assistant project manager at Rick Energy," Hopkins said as she introduced the project team and walked the board through site layout and code compliance. Rick Energy representatives told the board the array would be set back more than 1,400 feet from Route 82 at its closest point, use single-axis trackers with a maximum panel height of 12 feet (below the 15-foot limit), and locate underground electric lines where the town code requires them.

Board members and residents questioned interconnection poles, visual screening and construction impacts. The applicant said they had submitted a visual impact assessment and additional leaf-off vantage photos at the board's request. The board also confirmed a public site visit at 11 a.m. Saturday, flagged at the driveway for 3333 State Route 82, and adjourned the public hearing to allow the record and site visit input to be incorporated at a future meeting.

Why it matters: The project would be one of the first utility-scale community solar installations reviewed under Ancram's solar code. The board's lead-agency declaration begins the town-level procedural review; subsequent engineering comments, interconnection details with the utility, and community feedback will shape final approvals.