COPAKE — Hecate Energy, the developer behind the proposed 220-acre, 60-megawatt Shepherd’s Run solar farm proposed for Route 23 and Route 7 in Copake, submitted its permit application to the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting on Tuesday.
“It’s a big step in a long process,” project developer Alex Campbell said. “It showcases the culmination of two years working with the community, the working group and stakeholders outside of the community that have guided the project and helped us change the project to what it is.”
The project has been highly debated by local residents over the past two years largely because of its size, which surpasses the town’s zoning laws limiting solar projects like Shepherd’s Run to 10 acres. The potential impact the project could have on the environment, property values and the viewshed have also been repeatedly raised as concerns by the community.
A Working Group comprised of members with different views on the project, Sensible Solar for Rural New York, and Friends of Columbia Solar, along with members of Columbia Land Conservancy and groups from Cornell Cooperative Extension and volunteer landscape architects had outlined a list of recommendations for the project for Hecate.
They presented their findings to Hecate on Feb. 7 to take into consideration for their plan ahead of filing and gave a public presentation of their recommendations Feb. 17.
The recommendations included: improvements and investments by Hecate Energy in the project’s siting, ecology and landscaping including the elimination of proposed forest clear-cutting; integrating agriculture between the solar panels including regenerative sheep grazing; creating new community-accessible green spaces with enhanced environmental restoration and stewardship; extending the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and creating new trail access to the Rheinstrom Hill Audubon Sanctuary; creating educational programs for Taconic Hills Central School students and youth organizations; creating access to low-cost renewable energy purchasing for the community; local hiring and purchasing; responsible sourcing for solar panels; full tax payments for the county, town and school district and for impacted nearby homeowners to be fairly compensated.
The working group issued a statement Tuesday, one day before Hecate filed with the state, in response to Hecate’s “imminent permit application filing” for the project.
“While the Working Group is disappointed that Hecate Energy will not delay its application until more recommendations can be fully incorporated into the project, the Group is committed to working with Hecate to further develop its vision, along with community input,” according to the statement.
The Working group called on the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting not to deem Hecate’s application complete until the company has fully incorporated the working group’s recommendations.
“We recognize Hecate Energy has made modifications to its proposed project,” Columbia Land Conservancy President Troy Weldy said in the working group’s statement. “We call upon Hecate, the Town of Copake and ORES to join us to implement the Working Group’s bold vision.”
Most of the recommendations made by the working group have been integrated into the project, Campbell said.
“At this point, from my perspective, I think the vast majority of their suggestions have been incorporated,” Campbell said. “And that’s a huge, huge win for the town, the project, and all the stakeholders who are a part of the project.”
Campbell said he wants to focus on the positives.
“If we’ve missed one or two things that are suggested by the working group, that’s a separate conversation,” Campbell said. “But I think the positive things far outweigh the small, few things that we haven’t been able to incorporate today. That doesn’t mean that those things can’t happen in the future.”
There is still a fairly robust engagement process in the application phase, Campbell said.
“Copake applauds the efforts of the Working Group and has been impressed by many of the recommendations in the Craryville Gateway plan,” Town Supervisor Jeanne Mettler said. “While Hecate’s proposed solar installation scale is still too big and while Copake still has concerns about the violation of Home Rule, we also understand that an opportunity would be lost if the recommendations of the Working Group are not seriously considered by ORES. Hecate has been quick to say that the recommendations of the Working Group have been addressed in their Application. ORES should take a hard look at the Application to see if that is true, and the Application should not be deemed complete unless Hecate has truly heard and addressed the concerns of the Working Group.”