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8 41 <br /> 1 My finding says that being adjacent or being able to see those solar arrays doesn't have an <br /> 2 effect on the value. In this case, you won't be able to see it or very, very limited visibility. My <br /> 3 conclusion is this will have no effect on the values of the adjacent properties. <br /> 4 <br /> 5 Pete Hallenbeck: Are there any questions from the Commissioners? <br /> 6 <br /> 7 Beth Trahos: Mr. Chairman, I would tell you that with those experts, in combination with the <br /> 8 testimony of your staff, we believe meets the prima facia burden of proof under your Ordinance. <br /> 9 We would point out to you also that you have previously approved a solar farm just up the road. <br /> 10 There is an existing one in operation today, a five megawatt solar farm just up the road, and you <br /> 11 made all of the same findings of fact relative to that solar farm that you would be required to <br /> 12 make with regard to this solar farm. And so we would say to you that nothing has changed <br /> 13 since you made those findings except that you have amended your Ordinance to require <br /> 14 additional buffers and screenings. And we are, of course, complying with that. I would tell you <br /> 15 that, again, we do have a variety of experts that would be available to come and talk with you. <br /> 16 We have a Mechanical Engineer, we have someone very knowledgeable about solar and we <br /> 17 have another appraiser. If there are any questions that you have we would be happy to bring <br /> 18 those folks forward. We would reserve time for rebuttal and we would thank you very much for <br /> 19 your time and ask for your support of this green and renewable energy project. Thank you. <br /> 20 <br /> 21 Pete Hallenbeck: Are there any questions from the Commissioners? Are there any questions <br /> 22 from the Planning Board members? <br /> 23 <br /> 24 Lydia Wegman: question... <br /> 25 <br /> 26 Pete Hallenbeck: I'm sorry, go ahead. <br /> 27 <br /> 28 Chair McKee: Could you step to the microphone, please? <br /> 29 <br /> 30 Lydia Wegman: My name is Lydia Wegman. I'm a member of the Planning Board. I haven't <br /> 31 had a chance to look yet through this document and the appraisal that was just discussed by <br /> 32 Mr. Hester, and I'd like a chance to do that— and we'll have a chance to talk about that, in our <br /> 33 next Planning Board meeting. But I do want to get a sense for whether the situation that he <br /> 34 examined in his paired analysis are, in fact, comparable to the situation in White Cross, where <br /> 35 there's already an existing solar farm. And, I haven't had a chance to look through this yet since <br /> 36 1 just received it. So I just wanted to flag a concern, and that I want to better understand the <br /> 37 kind of appraisal that he did. <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Chair McKee: I think you may be getting ready to get an answer. <br /> 40 <br /> 41 Lydia Wegman: Okay. Great. <br /> 42 <br /> 43 Tom Hester: Tom Hester again and I have two answers, I guess. One is that the communities <br /> 44 that I've investigated are very similar to this location. Where you have a of a combination of <br /> 45 agricultural uses, wooded land, and residential uses. So, very similar in surrounding counties in <br /> 46 central North Carolina. I've also investigated in Catawba County and further west and I went <br /> 47 there because I think there's five or six, farms there and a couple of the largest farms in the <br /> 48 State. And so I really wanted to look at the communities around where they are more prevalent <br /> 49 and more has been developed and where they are larger. And really the same finding's there. <br /> 50 Even surrounding the larger farms there is no effect on the sales prices. When the properties <br /> 51 sell, when the house sells — and I really try to focus on residential uses rather than large land <br />