Thursday, February 12, 2015

Much ado about nothing, OR Solar-field of dreams

Google Streetview from 4181 Lohr Rd. The proposed solar field would be located behind the row of trees in the background, approximately 800 ft. away from where the picture was taken. 

Last night, Pittsfield Township's Board of Trustees voted to oppose Ann Arbor's plan to build an array of solar panels on an agricultural field within the boundaries of the city's airport. By way of background, Ann Arbor's municipal airport is on land owned by the City of Ann Arbor but within the boundaries of Pittsfield Charter Township. The Ann Arbor News reports Township Treasurer Patricia Scrtbner objecting to Ann Arbor's plans because the Ann Arbor City Council has not reached out to the Township's Board of Trustees. In a counterpoint posted on Mary Morgan's Facebook post about the row, CM Kunselman indicated that the appropriate city staff had been in contact with the appropriate township staff.

In cries that echo the Plymouth Road Solar Array Kerfuffle of January 2013, some commentors on the .News are complaining that they feel like residents of the subdivisions adjacent to the Airport on Lohr Road should not be subjected to unsightly solar panels dotting the horizon and interrupting their formerly bucolic vista. I understand that people get attached to their physical environment and that change is stressful. Nevertheless, I'm surprised to hear such vehement opposition to the location of the proposed solar array. Using Washtenaw County's awesome web-based MappingWashtenw program I measured the proposed location of the array (as indicated in the .news) to be over 760 feet from the edge of the Lohr Road right of way and over 900 feet from the nearest residence. Beyond the understandable desire of the Pittsfield Township Board of Trustees to be better looped into the conversation, I find it hard to understand the opposition to this proposed project.

5 comments:

  1. so basically the field between Lohr and the airport? whatever...

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  2. I'd like to say, "so the airport isn't an eyesore?" but I know that the people fighting the solar array are probably the same people that want the airport to go somewhere else. Despite the airport pre-dating that particular development by a loooong time. I'd imagine these are probably people that think we should do something about our foreign oil dependency. I guess they are fine with that...as long as it's not in their backyard.

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  3. With Ann Arbor airport solar plans stalled, Ypsilanti re-pitches DTE for array near I-94
    http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2015/02/with_airport_solar_plans_stall.html

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  4. Dave, I think it would be really funny if Ann Arbor lost out on the solar development and Ypsi got it.

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