Residents See No Benefits to Proposed Solar Panels

Residents opposed to the ’s bid to install had a final opportunity to speak out about a project that many see as an eye sore and a danger to house values. 

“Since we are a small community of only 68 residents, [falling property values] is a concern of everyone in the neighborhood,” resident Karen Moritz told the zoning board Tuesday.

Moritz is a realtor who lives on Striker Drive, the block of homes that would be most affected by perceptions of a negative visual impact from solar panels. 

With final testimony from engineer Michael Ford, the YMCA completed its application for a variance that would allow for the installation of solar arrays in a residentially zoned property. Bridgewater ordinances only allow for solar panels on rooftops within residential zones, but the YMCA variance application is for the allowance of panels on top of car ports in its parking lot.

While past testimony detailed the dimensions of the proposed structure—17 feet at its highest point, 10 feet at its lowest at 8.5 feet off the ground and canopy lights at about 13 feet—Tuesday’s discussion centered around the installation of Leyland Cypress trees that would create an aesthetic front for residents and to hide the solar array-laden car port. 

Board members had said when the application was initially introduced that they wanted to see a detailed plan for how to provide a natural buffer between the car ports and the residents living near the YMCA.

“The Cypress trees would meet the township ordinance and they would provide a screen of the existing parking lot,” Ford said of the revised landscape plan. Ford said that the 15-foot trees are expected to grow up to 30 feet in height within three to five years. 

The YMCA property is surrounded by a wooded area where the Peters Brook runs through the site, by the Green Knoll Golf Course and Garretson Road with the . The biggest concerns came from residents on Striker Drive on the northeast side of the building.

“The ordinance clearly states that ground mounted solar structures are not permitted in a residential neighborhood,” said resident Judy Mooney, who lives on Striker Drive. “The negative consequences far outweigh the limited benefits. I wonder if the Y has considered the far-reaching impact this might have.”

While Mooney read from an impassioned statement, the 40 or so residents who came out for the hearing wanted to simply verbalize their opposition. One by one they marched to the podium to speak.

“I urge the board to deny the request,” said Bill Fee, of Striker Drive. “I don’t see any benefit to us.”

The board will deliberate and render a decision on the application on Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal complex.