New York City firm gets initial OK for solar farm on site of former Unity stone quarry

A New York City-based solar farm developer has passed the first hurdle in its plan to develop an array along a rural road in Unity.

The township zoning hearing board on Tuesday unanimously approved a special exception that will allow CVE North America to pursue installation of a solar farm on a 13-acre section of a 168-acre site at 1608 Bethel Church Road.

Carrie Cosentino, CVE project developer, said the array of more than 8,700 solar panels would be placed at a high point on the property but still would be screened by topography and vegetation from the view of motorists.

The solar array would not be adjacent to several community soccer fields on the property.

If additional state and local permitting processes go as planned, Cosentino said, the company hopes to construct the solar array in 2026, leasing the site of a reclaimed former stone quarry from the property owner, Soccerhound Development Co. Up to five vehicles per day would arrive at the site during the construction period of up to six months, she said.

The array would have the capacity to generate 4 megawatts of electricity for sale through West Penn Power. CVE is pursuing an interconnection agreement with the utility.

“Number one, we look for interconnection, if there’s capacity on the lines for solar,” said Cosentino.

Raymond Vasinko, who lives on Fox Ridge Lane, downstream from the site, expressed concern about stormwater runoff and flooding along Indian Camp Run. He asked that stormwater management measures taken at the solar site be sufficient so that runoff issues could be abated.

“Ever since the stone quarry was closed, if it rains, Indian Camp Run doubles and triples in size, and that’s never really been addressed,” Vasinko said. “It creates a muddy stream. There’s a big concern with water runoff.”

Pittsburgh-based engineering consultant Christian Brendel, of Penn Environmental and Remediation, said CVE will have to meet regulations that require reduction of stormwater runoff by 20% from existing levels.

“This development will hopefully ease some of the flooding concerns downstream,” Brendel said.

According to project planners, solar panels will be spaced about 14 feet apart and will be surrounded by a perimeter security fence. The panels would be mounted on pilings driven into the ground and would move to follow the sun while facing toward the south.

Dave DeRose, solicitor for the zoning board, said CVE’s proposed solar array appears to meet all requirements for receiving a special exception. That includes staying within 10% maximum coverage of the site’s surface area, a requirement for township property zoned for conservation use.

13-acre array

According to Brendel, the 13-acre array will cover about 7.8% of the site.

Brendel said project planners are seeking approval from the township supervisors to consolidate two parcels at the site, to meet the minimum 25-acre lot size for developing a solar farm. The solar equipment will be set back from property lines by at least the 100-foot minimum mandated by the township.

CVE also must submit a land development plan for township approval and seek a state highway occupancy permit for the site’s access road.

Formed in 2017, CVE has about 40 employees. It is operating arrays with a total capacity of 90 megawatts and has another 379 megawatts worth of projects under development.

It has completed sites in New York and Massachusetts and is pursuing additional projects in several other states including Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. CVE has no operational sites in Pennsylvania, but it’s proposing to develop three arrays in Armstrong County — in Burrell, Cowanshannock and Wayne townships.

Soccer fields nearby

The property along Bethel Church Road was purchased in 2002 by Soccerhound principal Vincent Pimpinella, who developed several fields there for use by the Loyalhanna United soccer club program.

He said the fields, which have their own electrical supply, host soccer camps as well as games for in-house and travel teams in the Pennsylvania West State Soccer Association. The facility serves both youth and adult players, representing about 300 families from Unity, Derry and Cook townships plus visitors from other areas, he said.

“They’ll be driving past the solar panels to get to the fields. but once they’re at the fields, they won’t be adjacent to (the array),” Pimpinella said.

“I did get a communication from (CVE) because they’re looking at Western Pennsylvania. I could see that this property was a good candidate.

“I don’t know of any other property that’s more ideal for this from a standpoint of the topography and the fact that it has direct sun.”

Current head coach of the girls soccer team at Loyalhanna Township’s The Kiski School, Pimpinella was former head varsity girls soccer coach at Greater Latrobe Senior High.

Because CVE applied for approval of its Unity project in December, the site falls under the guidelines of the township’s initial version of solar farm regulations —which provided guidelines for arrays to be located on property falling under either conservation or agriculture zoning categories.

A recently approved revision of solar farm zoning limits arrays solely to the conservation zone and includes more extensive restrictions and safeguards — including procedures for decommissioning and clearing equipment from a solar farm once it has become inactive.

Unity nixes initial solar project; civil suit ongoing

The fate of a previously proposed solar farm in Unity remains to be determined as the developer and township officials battle in Westmoreland County court.

The Unity zoning hearing board voted 3-2 on Dec. 18 to deny a special exception GreenKey Solar/Ninemile Run Solar Master Tenant LLC sought to develop a solar array on a roughly 62-acre lot owned by Joseph Stas along Charles Houck Road.

According to a later written opinion issued by the zoning board, the majority of its members determined GreenKey’s solar farm would exceed the maximum 20% “coverage” that was allowed on the agriculturally-zoned property. The members rejected GreenKey’s contention that it would be using about 10.65 acres, or slightly less than 17% of the property.

In its amended civil suit appealing that zoning decision, GreenKey and its attorney, Michael Korns, argue that the zoning opinion isn’t supported by evidence in the case, that it contradicts other applicable case law and relies upon incorrect mathematical calculations.

The suit charges that the zoning board’s decision was “arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion,” violating the developer’s right to due process.

GreenKey also argued that the zoning board’s written opinon wasn’t properly approved by a majority of the members at a public meeting and should not be considered binding.

Judge Harry F. Smail has set deadlines of June 9 for GreenKey to file a legal brief in support of its appeal and July 14 for the zoning board and Unity Township, which has intervened in the case, to file briefs opposing the appeal.