Agenda - 5-a - Class A Special Use Permit – Solar Array off US Highway 70 in Cheeks Township

Browse Search

30 HEnv Project #201603 March 1, 2016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The approximate 53 -acre site is located at 6517 U.S. Highway 70 in Mebane, Grange County, North Carolina. According to the Orange County GIS, the site is identified as Parcel Identification Number (Pled) 9835 -02- 9137. The parcel is owned by Mr. Carl J. Mace, A legal description of the parcel is included in feed Book 1313, Page 319_ The subject site (or site) is comprised of the entire legal parcel. The project area, includes the limits of a proposed solar farm. The project area is, located within the subject site. The approximate 25 -acre project area is to be defined by Oakwood Solar Farm, t-LC, their successors, and/or assigns. Recognized environmental conditions (RECs) were not identified within the current project area. The majority of the site is comprised of scrub /shrub vegetation. The site was cleared for timber purposes 3 to 5 years ago. The southeast portion of the site is used as staging for Mace Grading Company, Inc. Two man -made ponds are located on the southern and northwestern portions of the site, respectively. A stream is located on the northeast portion of the site. No buildings are located within the site boundary- The site has been used for agricultural, pastoral, and silvicultural purposes since at least 1938. A man -made pond has been located on the southern portion of the site since the 1960s- Two roan -made ponds on the northeastern and northwestern portions of the site have been successively filled and drained on different occasions since the 19700980s_ Mace Grading Company, Inc, has utilized the southeast portion of the site as a staging area since 201112012. HEnv was unable to determine the date of first developed use of the subject site_ The inability to determine the date of first developed use represents a data gap. However, based on the past use of the site for agricultural, pastoral. and silv[cultural purposes, this data gap does not represent a recognized environmental condition (REC) of the site, The site is bounded on the north and east by wooded land and residential dwellings, to the southeast by Mace Grading Company, Inc -; to the south by residential dwellings; and to the west by residential dwellings, two ponds, wooded land, and pasture land. The surrounding lands were historically used for agricultural purposes or otherwise wooded and undeveloped. Residential development began to increase on the 'lands to south in the 1950s, and on the lands to the east and west in the 1970s, Mace Grading Company, Inc. was established on the adjoining property to the southeast in the 1970s, We have performed a Phase i Environmental Site Assessment in conformance with the scope and limitations of ASTM Practice E1527 -13 of the site located at 6517 U.S. Highway 70 in Mebane, Orange County, North Carolina. Any ezc:eplions to, or deletions from, this practice are described in Section III of this report. This assessment has revealed no evidence of recognized environmental conditions in connection with the site, except for the fallowing: HEnv observed three empty ASTs. (varying between 250- gallon and 1,000- gallons in volume), six 55- gallon drums (contents unknown), and seven empty 5- gallon motor oil buckets on the southeast portion of the site. Petroleum stained sail was observed around the perimeter of the ASTs, drums. and buckets_ The area of stained soil represents a REC of the site. Presuming the area of stained soil is outside the project area, further assessment may not be warranted.