Welcome to

STOP INDUSTRIAL SOLAR ON FARMS AND NEAR HOMES

 

LATEST UPDATE: this application is still pending and the public hearing has been extended once again to Tuesday March 11, 2025.  This means there is still time for the public to email comments (see WHAT CAN I DO tab below for how to email comments) as well as another opportunity to attend the 3/11/25 meeting. 

 

Join us in our mission to preserve the rural character of Scantic Road.  We are dedicated to protecting the rural charm and beauty of our neighborhood as well as preserving property values by advocating against the installation of large scale industrial solar projects in our rural residential and agricultural areas. 

CTEC Solar, LLC is seeking a special exception to the South Windsor zoning regulations in order to allow a large scale industrial solar project be built in a South Windsor Rural Residential (RR) zone which will also be partially sited on the contiguous East Windsor town line in an East Windsor Agricultural/Residential (A1) zone. 

The proposed site for the 1.31 MW, 5.66 acre project is on the South Windsor portion of Draghi Farm, located at 379 Scantic Road, South Windsor.  A public hearing that was originally scheduled for 1/14/25 was POSTPONED and was held at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at the South Windsor Town Hall located at 1540 Sullivan Avenue, South Windsor, CT 06074 to consider this application and hear public comments.  The hearing has been extended to February 11, 2025 and extended again to February 25, 2025 and then again to March 11, 2025.

We will be attending all public hearings to raise our objections to the project.   We hope that a large number of South Windsor and East Windsor residents will also come to the hearing to state their objections, read a prepared written statement or simply just attend to show the zoning commission that our neighborhood community is unified in opposition to this application for a special exception to the zoning regulations.

Our Purpose

We live and work on Scantic Road and are opposing the pending large scale industrial solar project being proposed on the South Windsor portion of Draghi Farm at 379 Scantic Road, South Windsor CT.  This type of large scale industrial solar project will create large scale adverse affects on the 28 residential homes within 500 feet of the proposed site, as well as on the countless residential South Windsor and East Windsor homes within a half mile of the proposed site. 

  • The type of large scale industrial solar project being proposed is an incompatible and unsuitable use of property that is located in a South Windsor rural residential zone neighboring an East Windsor agricultural/residential zone;
  • The proposed project will require 8 new utility poles and 1985 solar panels be installed which will create negative visual impacts to the neighboring residential homes and starting point of Scantic Road; 
  • The solar project accessory equipment, including transformers and an inverter, will cause noise pollution and be a significant nuisance to the surrounding residential homes;  
  • Studies have shown that industrial solar projects, like the one being proposed, sited in residential areas and on former farmland have a negative impact on surrounding home values;
  • The project site is designated as prime farmland and the solar panel installation will require the removal of the existing fruit trees and shrubs, causing the destruction of prime farmland which is unlikely to ever be restored;   
  • Approval of this project would directly conflict with and undermine the 2024 South Windsor Plan of Conservation and Development stated goal to "Support farmers, farming, and farmland preservation to maintain and enhance the health and economic benefits of local food and enhance overall community ambience." 

Please see tabs below for more information about the pending zoning application, project site and what we can do to oppose this project.

 

Pending Zoning Application

The public hearing has been continued to 7:00 P.M. on 3/11/25 at the South Windsor Planning and Zoning Commission to consider the application for this project. A copy of this Application (24-46P CTEC Solar, LLC) is on file at the South Windsor Planning Dept.  A link to the application is below. 

 

Prime Farmland 

The proposed 5.66 acre site is designated as prime farmland.  In a recent South Windsor community survey,  “Preserving farmland for farming” was noted as the second highest community priority by survey respondents (link to survey is below).   Yet, according to the project Narrative, in order to install the 1985 solar panels, "the existing crops, which consists of fruit trees and berry shrubs, will require removal."  So not only is prime farmland not being preserved, it would be destroyed by the approval of this project.

 

Site Plan

The proposed solar project site plan shows its large scale size, its close proximity to numerous residential homes and its partial siting directly on the contiguous East Windsor town line.   A link to the full site plan is below.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT INDUSTRIAL SOLAR PROJECTS ON FARMS AND NEAR HOMES?

The Draghi Farm large scale industrial solar project is an incompatible and unsuitable industrial use of property that is located in a rural residential zone neighboring an agricultural/residential zone.

The zoning regulations are in place for a reason - to regulate the kinds of uses a property may be used for and to prevent overlapping incompatible uses, like having a residential use next to an industrial use.  

If this special exception is approved at Draghi Farm it sets a precedent which will drastically affect all of South Windsor residents.  It could open the floodgates for any other solar developer to do this in any other South Windsor residential and rural residential zones in the future.  

Furthermore, East Windsor already hosts a number of industrial solar projects - including the largest one in the Northeast.  Although the proposed project is located in South Windsor, it is being partially sited on the contiguous East Windsor Town line and as a result will adversely impact East Windsor residents as much as it will adversely impact South Windsor residents.  

In August 2024, a "Literature Review on the Impact of Utility-Scale Solar on Housing Prices" by LSU Center for Energy Studies reviewed the current body of literature examining the effects of utility-scale solar and concluded:

"The empirical literature suggests that utility-scale solar development has the potential to reduce housing values for homes within approximately one-half mile of these installations. Empirical estimates suggest a reduction of 1.5% - 6.9% in housing values. Studies that analyze housing values in rural areas specifically find that utility-scale solar is associated with a 2.5% - 5.8% percent reduction in housing values."

 

 

 

 

WHAT CAN I DO TO OPPOSE THE INDUSTRIAL SOLAR PROJECT APPLICATION?

1) Attend the extended public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on 3/11/25 to make comments to the Planning and Zoning Commission or read your written statement at the hearing in the Council Chambers at the South Windsor Town Hall - 1540 Sullivan Avenue, South Windsor CT;

 

2) ON OR BEFORE 1 pm on 3/11/25 you can send an email: there is a Minutes and Agenda's comment form on the South Windsor Planning and Zoning page - cut and paste url below: 

https://www.southwindsor-ct.gov/home/webforms/minutes-and-agendas-comment-form   

Subject is the "Planning and Zoning Commission" tab

Click on "Agendas" and reference Application 24-46P

 

3) BEFORE 3/11/25 send written comments by mail to:

The Town of South Windsor Planning and Zoning Commission

Town Hall, 1540 Sullivan Ave.,

South Windsor CT 06074

(reference Application 24-46P on your letter)

I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS - WHO SHOULD I ASK?

Please use the contact us tab or email me at jkjta@hotmail.com  with any additional questions or comments.  Thank you.  Jennifer 

This website was set up to provide information to our South Windsor and East Windsor neighbors and serve as a starting point for discussion about the pending special exception application for the large scale industrial solar project at Draghi Farm. 

Contact us

 

Location

Scantic Road, East Windsor CT

About us

We live and work on Scantic Road and while we believe in a property owner's right to do what they want with their property, we also understand that there are limits to those rights in the form of zoning regulations which exist to prevent incompatible land uses from being placed next to eachother.  On that basis we believe that approval for a large scale industrial solar project in a densely populated, rural residential zone which also affects a contiguous agricultural/residential zone should not be granted.     

Create Your Own Website With Webador