Minutes 05-27-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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our land on Cascade Drive in the fall of 2004. We fell in love with the neighborhood and its proximity to New Hope Creek and the common land surrounding it. This was exactly where we sought to create a home. It was close to everything, yet so perfectly in the country, bordered by New Hope Creek and a beautiful farm in the other side of Cascade. This was paradise to us. Since purchasing our land, we have declined purchase offers for the much desired property, knowing that we were soon going to build. Recently, we have revisited our plans, our ideas, and our timeline for building. On Tuesday, May 13, we returned home after visiting family, to a notice that a certified letter was waiting for us at the post office. This letter stated that there would be a hearing two weeks later, on May 27th, tonight, the day after Memorial Day. Plans for a solar array were being considered for the beautiful farm on the other side of Cascade Drive, and these plan indicated that the access road for the solar farm and the inversion station were to be directly across the street from our property. We kept our minds open. We read and re-read the letter and studied the included map. We drew up a list of questions, studied the GIS. We googled solar arrays in North Carolina and Sunlight Partners, LLC, the company proposing to lease the site. We found out that Sunlight Partners is a firm in Arizona that has approached a myriad of farms in North Carolina over the past few years. I was surprised to see the scale of these farms, the visual density—a seemingly endless sea of panels propped on disturbed soils, and fences warning of high voltage. It was very industrial. This is when the reality set in, that a solar farm is actually a power utility - more attractive in theory and not adjacent to an established neighborhood. Do I want to live across from a public utility? The entrance to the 20 foot access road will not allow for screening vegetation there. So, I am sure we will have an unobstructed view of the rising field of solar panels. Am I just mourning the open fenceless fields of golden hay, or frightened by the unknown and unanswerable questions? Is it safe?Will it hum or make noise? Will it be lit up at night, or too reflective or hot during the day? What sort of vegetation or fence will there be, and what will it actually end up looking like? What about the rules regarding impervious surface? Everything drains through our property to the New Hope Creek watershed. What about the wildlife? Do we really want to build a house and live here? And if we don't, who will? I wonder if there are more appropriate sites for a public utility—areas where established neighborhood are not affected. I wonder if the best possible practices are being considered. I wonder what this fight will be to keep our neighborhood unaffected and what this is going to cost us. It seems unfortunate that while the utilities profit, undue burden is placed on the neighboring citizens. It seems unfair and disappointing. I sincerely hope that our voices are heard. Thank you. Pete Hallenbeck: Alright, thank you. The next person I have on the list that did not give testimony. Keith Kirkland. Keith Kirkland: Good evening. My name is Keith Kirkland and I've been living in Orange County all my life. My family has been in Orange County due to a land grant from the King of England, right up here. They've been here a long time. My concern is mostly the devaluation of