OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Pomfret Town Supervisor Dan Pacos, center, speaks with Town Attorney Jeffrey Passafaro as Town Councilman John Sedota looks at documents prior to the April 13 Pomfret Town Board meeting.

Pomfret has increased the minimum setbacks from property lines for solar power farms.

The town board voted unanimously at its April 13 meeting to make the changes by amending a 2016 zoning law.

Town Attorney Jeffrey Passafaro, who drafted the amendment, said solar farms used to be limited only by the bulk area provisions of whatever zones they were in. In other words, before the amendment, solar farm minimum setbacks could be the same as any other building in its zone.

With the amendment, clear restrictions for solar farms are now in place. All equipment for the farms must be at least 250 feet from its boundary lines, 300 feet from the edge of public right-of-ways, and 350 feet from any residences.

Town Supervisor Dan Pacos asked if the amendment allowed for any exceptions, called variances in zoning language. Passafaro said it did not, but the previous law already has language that allows for restrictions and alterations in individual cases.

Passafaro suggested a change to his amendment to clarify that, with good cause shown, the town board can waive or vary the requirements. The board agreed to it.

Pacos said of granting variances, “If it was a house next door, I’d say no. That’s why we’re increasing the setbacks, to get (solar farms) away from them.”

He called the amendment a guide to future development.

As the amendment required a law change, a public hearing was held beforehand. Lasting 24 minutes, it mostly consisted of Pomfret officials who are not on the town board complaining they were not consulted.

Michael Bobseine is a representative of the Pomfret-Fredonia joint committee working on a comprehensive plan. He stated, in a letter read by the town clerk, that the board should consult with his panel and the town’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals before making solar farm law changes.

Pacos responded that those boards were consulted when the town initially decided the zones that are acceptable for solar farms. The town was one of the first in the area to develop solar farm regulations, he added, and “We didn’t know what we didn’t know.”

Now that the town board has more experience with the issues surrounding the farms, it can move forward with changes, Pacos said.

James Joy, chairman of the Pomfret Planning Board and speaking on its behalf, then said, “We are concerned about some of the issues that have taken place.” Calling for a moratorium on future solar farm applications, he said that existing farms are hurting nearby property values.

“All in all, we’re not against (solar farming), we’re looking at improvements here,” he said.

Pacos replied Joy couldn’t be sure of solar farms’ effects on property values. He noted the town already had a solar farming moratorium, before the initial set of regulations was ratified.

“We do have some people who want to do some things with their properties,” he said.

Sedota struck a note of caution.

“These are long term projects that will affect us for years to come,” he said. “There’s no reason to rush.”