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Planning board approves ground‑mounted solar array at 148 Box Hill Road
Summary
The Ankrum Planning Board declared the solar application complete and approved a ground‑mounted photovoltaic system for a dairy farm at 148 Box Hill Road, finding limited visibility and minimal site disturbance. The applicant must obtain building permits from the building department.
The Town of Ankrum Planning Board voted June 4 to approve an abbreviated site plan for a ground‑mounted solar system at 148 Box Hill Road. Contractor Alex Grayson of Hudson Solar Solutions told the board the installation consists of two arrays, a 97‑foot and an 82‑foot array, and that the panels are shielded from neighboring properties by existing farm buildings.
Grayson said site disturbance would be very small — he described the total disturbance from ground screws and trenching as approximately 0.0075 acres — and that wiring would be installed in a temporary trench then covered. “They are shielded by the barn and the surrounding barns. There is no visibility for neighboring properties,” Grayson said. Board members asked for typical fire‑department access verification used in earlier farm array reviews and moved, by motion and voice vote, to declare the application complete and approve the photovoltaic ground‑mounted system. The board instructed the applicant to proceed to the building department to secure required permits.
Why it matters: The decision allows the farm operator to offset on‑farm electricity demand while the board recorded conditions typical for rural solar installations — verification of access for emergency services and confirmation of equipment siting and screening. The approval was taken as an abbreviated site plan; the building department will handle permit issuance and any related inspections.
