Agenda - 09-01-2015 - 5b - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 40 1 it is shown currently on the latest plan that it meets all the applicable portions of the UDO. And 1 2 believe, in my professional opinion, that if the project's built as designed it will be harmonious 3 with the area given the buffering that we've provided. And it will not be injurious in any way to 4 the public's health, safety or welfare. 5 6 And I'm here to answer any questions that you have. 7 8 Chair McKee: Seeing none. 9 10 Beth Trahos: Mr. Chairman, just one note. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that as a part of 11 our discussions with adjacent property owners, we're going to be tweaking the plan and we will 12 be resubmitting a new plan that will require that along the northern property line, thirty feet of the 13 buffer, closest to the property line remain, be undisturbed. Closest to the property line, to the 14 north, remain undisturbed. And that there be a green screen installed on the fence facing the 15 northern property line. And we will add that to our site plan so that it is available to you in the 16 record. 17 18 1 would ask, ah, Mr. Hester to come forward. Mr. Hester is a North Carolina Real Estate 19 Appraiser. 20 21 Tom Hester: Hello. My name is Tom Hester. I'm a State Certified Real Estate Appraiser in 22 North Carolina. I have a North Carolina Broker's License, and I'm a designated member of the 23 Appraisal Institute, which is a National Professional Organization. I have the MAI designation. 24 I've been active in appraising properties in central North Carolina for about 33 years. My 25 assignment in this case was to make a determination of whether this proposed use would have 26 a negative effect on adjacent property values. To make that determination I at first am looking 27 at what types of properties— or what characteristics —would have an effect on adjacent 28 properties. And so I'm considering traffic, noise, lighting, dust, hazardous materials, and visual 29 effect. And for this proposed use —for the Solar Farm-it's a very passive use. So there's really 30 no traffic, there's no noise, there's no lighting, there's no dust. The only effect on adjacent 31 properties is visual: can you see it? And my determination is to look at other existing farms and 32 make a determination. If you can see the solar farm, does it have an effect on values? So to 33 make that determination, I looked just— not just at this property but at about 30 other, existing 34 solar farms. All put into service since 2011. And I used an analysis called paired sale analysis. 35 I'm looking at transactions, sales of real estate, sales of properties—generally residential 36 properties —that are potentially effected by solar farms. I looked at sales of properties that 37 occurred before the solar farm was built. And then similar properties after it was built. And 1 38 also looked at properties that have close proximity to existing solar farms versus transactions of 39 properties that are further away but in the same general vicinity. 40 41 My finding, using that paired sale analysis, before and after— and also inside and outside the 42 ring surrounding the solar farms — is that the existing solar farms that I investigated have had no 43 effect on actual transaction prices. Sales generally the same price—the same price range — 44 before and after, and close in versus further out. So my conclusion is that this proposed farm 45 would not have any effect on the adjacent properties or the nearby community. And then,just to 46 continue, this site plan has got a really lower density than most of the existing solar farms that 47 have been built in the last two or three years. That's fewer solar— a smaller array—versus the 48 total land area. It's got significantly more set back and buffer and screening. I think the visibility 49 of this —of the solar panels on this property—will be very limited. I just don't think that you'll be 50 able to see with the natural vegetation that will surround the array. 51