COMMON COUNCIL PASSES SOLAR INSTALLATION REGULATIONS, ADDRESSES NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS. MAYOR ROACH DRAMATICALLY EMPHASIZES NEED FOR ENERGY SHIFT FROM FOSSIL FUELS: “IT’S TIME TO ACT.”

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL REPORT. By John F. Bailey. August 3, 2022:

The Common Council enacted new detailed regulations on the standards and requirements of solar panel installations capable  of generating  over 1,000 kilowatts of electricity Monday evening unanimously. Key aspects of the legislation reflected concerns of the Havilands Manor neighborhood which objected to the installation of canopy-placed solar panels at the 1133 Westchester Avenue site.

(In a related development, the public hearing on the 1133 Westchester site was postponed, as 1133 was revising its site plan.)

Highlights were requiring green plantings to shield solar canopies/ installations from views of neighborhoods while preserving the environmental integrity of the existing adjacent properties. A second protection for the future was the fate of solar installations should the existing owners of properties go bankrupt or sell the property.

Mayor Thomas Roach in a 15 minute commentary on the legislation expressed dismay at the evidence of global warning effects this summer.

Mayor Thomas Roach at the conclusion of Monday Common Council Meeting on the need to act on limiting fossil fuels by encouraging and switching to green sources of power.

Common Council President Nadine Hunt-Robinson comments on what the new solar panel ordinance achieves.

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