Ordinance would tie hands of Sanbornton's ag community

To The Daily Sun,

This year's ballot in Sanbornton will include a question of approval for a new town solar ordinance. Please vote NO. This ordinance as proposed does not serve the best interest of the town. It is unreasonably restrictive and inconsistent with the town’s existing zoning. This proposed ordinance also ties the hands of our agricultural community in their rights to use their property as they see fit.

This proposed new ordinance imposes a totally new concept, variable setbacks based on structure size, that does not appear anywhere in the town's existing zoning. This effectively creates a requirement for excessive empty space around any proposed installation, unreasonably punishing a developer or property owner with a larger land parcel requirement or smaller solar installation. If the installation is already screened by a required band of vegetation these buffer zones are entirely arbitrary. These excessive setbacks are little more than a deliberate obstacle without practical benefit other than restriction.

The proposed ordinance fails to make exemption for small solar systems for powering remote agricultural buildings and other farm functions. If this ordinance passes, farmers will have to apply for a permit for their remote solar well pump or other application under the same requirements as a commercial developer: setbacks, screening and obtrusive regulation. This is not respect or practicality for Sanbornton’s agricultural community.

This ordinance in combination with an almost nonexistent commercial zone is so restrictive that very few parcels of land will qualify for development. This is in violation of N.H. statutes that mandate avoidance of prohibitive regulations for solar development and will expose the town to future litigation. This ordinance takes the choice of leasing land for solar away from tax strapped landowners who might otherwise be forced to sell their property to developers.

Sanbornton has been looking at ways to encourage commercial development in order to offset residential property taxes. This ordinance takes solar off the table as a source of PILOT income (utility tax method) to the Town.

Please vote NO on this proposed solar ordinance.

Andrew Sanborn

Sanbornton