Recent approval of solar farm triggers response from town to propose moratorium on development permits until ordinances are updated. | By Greg Levinsky | Morning Sentinel | September 11, 2020 | www.centralmaine.com
A 180-day moratorium ordinance to give the town of Belgrade time to update its ordinances related to development such as commercial solar and wind facilities, telecommunications towers and subdivisions is up for discussion.
The town is holding a public hearing via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, to air the secret ballot referendum question which will be voted on during the Nov. 3 election. If passed, the moratorium would take effect Nov. 4 and run through May 5, 2021.
The question on the ballot will read: “Shall the Town of Belgrade enact a 180-day moratorium on permit applications for solar and wind farms, cell towers and subdivisions?”
The town recently approved a solar array project by Solar Fields LLC on Route 35. Because of that project, the moratorium states other applications may soon follow in Belgrade “where undeveloped land is plentiful and regulation of such developments is minimal.”
“We do recognize there are some inadequacies in our ordinances,” Belgrade Town Manager Anthony Wilson said. “In order to give us time to address those, we want to pump the brakes a bit on applications for a short time.”
The Planning Board is also rewriting the town’s subdivision ordinance, adopted in 1988.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/09/12/belgrade-to-hold-public-hearing-on-180-day-moratorium-on-development-permits/