Swatara Township supervisors discuss last month’s solar project approval

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The Swatara Township Board of Supervisors took residents’ questions during the Oct. 9 meeting regarding their September conditional-use application approval of a proposed 3 megawatt alternating solar farm at 80 Fortna Road.

The 19-acre property planned to house around 5,000 solar panels and intended to lie in both Swatara and Bethel townships. A variance request in Bethel was rejected in September. Solar farms are an allowed usage in Swatara Township, so the township had fewer grounds to reject the plan.

When land development plans fall within established zoning, municipalities generally cannot veto a project based on what type of business or use is being proposed. In fact, if a municipality were to arbitrarily deny a land use plan, it could face costly legal repercussions.

Resident Jane Henning asked the supervisors if they accepted the plan because RWE Clean Energy LLC “checked all the boxes under the ordinance.”

Supervisor Dean Patches said that was correct — they met all of the basic conditions along with the additional reasonable conditions the township imposed.

“There’s no way I’m voting for something I know we’re going to get challenged and lose,” he said.

Henning said the township might want to reconsider its ordinances regarding solar projects to get ahead of future projects they might not want coming to the area. A change of ordinances wouldn’t stop the Fortna Road project, but it could keep future solar farms out of the township.

Supervisor Rick Kreitzer said he isn’t sure the project will come to fruition because the majority of the panels were going to be on Bethel Township’s side of the border.

“This is personal opinion,” he said. “If they don’t get Bethel’s permission, they’re never going to build. Ours is only going to be nine acres because the stormwater’s on our section, the driveway’s in our section, so we don’t think they’re going to put solar panels on just nine acres.”

Henning asked if they could add more solar panels on the Swatara Township side, but solicitor Colleen Gallo said any changes to the plan would require another public meeting and approval. She said the developers would be required to go through the application process again, pay the required fees, and pay to advertise the public meeting.

Kreitzer added that the property is north of a creek. If they decide to add more panels, they would have to expand the project south toward the creek, and would then have to deal with the Department of Environmental Protection for approvals.

In other business, supervisors:

• Authorized the solicitor to advertise a driveway and commercial uses in agriculture ordinance. The ordinace’s hearing will occur at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 13, and the vote will happen during the regular board of supervisors meeting.
• Voted to submit a Local Share Account grant request for $25,000 to pave the Bunker Hill Fire Company’s back parking lot. Kreitzer said they requested funds last year, but haven’t heard back yet because the state budget has not been finalized.

The Swatara Township Board of Supervisors will have its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 at 68 Supervisors Drive.