MILLSTONE — A large property off Disbrow Hill Road will soon sprout solar panels instead of crops.
The North Star Solar Energy Farm application received unanimous preliminary and final approval at the Feb. 9 Planning Board meeting. The farm will be developed on 126.29 acres off Disbrow Hill Road and 5 acres in the Moto Industrial Park at 700 Rike Drive.
All of the land being used for the project is located in the township’s business park zone. Kenneth Pape, the applicant’s attorney, said that the term “solar farm” is colloquial for a solar-generating energy facility, which by state statute is allowed in any industrial zone in New Jersey.
The applicant’s engineer, John Martinez, said that three solar fields are planned in the two separate development phases of the property. Phase one consists of putting solar panels on 23 acres. Phase two consists of putting the panels on 27 acres. The remaining 82 acres would remain undeveloped, he said. Most of the 82 acres consists of woods and wetlands, according to Martinez. Some of the areas currently farmed will no longer be farmed and will revert to a natural state, he said.
Martinez pointed out that the project does not require a water/sewage facility or lighting. He said there would be two ways to access the property, a gated entrance off Rike Drive and a gated entrance along an existing easement in neighboring Monroe Township. A creek on the northern portion of the site forms a barrier, he said.
Pape said his client would not have to put barbed wire on the fence around the site, because the insurance company is satisfied with the property having an 8-foot fence.
“It’s not a dangerous environment,” Pape said. “We don’t want the solar panels leaving.”
Pat Butch, who lives near the property, said she likes that the development would not draw traffic to the area. She said other industrial development would likely require a traffic light on Prodelin Way. Butch did express concerns about the wetlands in the area, some of which have standing water year-round and possible drainage issues.
Martinez said his client would replace the current row crops with a meadow.
“It will reduce runoff substantially,” he said .
Martinez noted there is only a small amount of impervious material planned for the property, such as the driveway and gravel path.