Pine Plains Planning Board gets updates on solar farm, cannabis manufacturing

PINE PLAINS —  The Pine Plains Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, April 12, was dominated by discussion of the solar farm project by Carson Power, and of the development of a new equipment storage facility in town by Ceen Properties.

Ceen Properties intends to open a storage unit for equipment at 2775 Church St., a building that had once been a dairy barn, and was zoned for agriculture. Recently, however, the owners were approached by cannabis growers based in Boston Corners who proposed using the facility in part for dry-goods-only cannabis manufacturing.

There would be no chemical extraction from the substances—under law, only “trimming” and manufacturing of the raw material would be allowed. Currently, the only machinery installed would be for cigarette production.

Representing the applicants was Wesley Chase, who went through a detailed back-and-forth with the board on the current site plans, from bathrooms to exits, and received recommendations from the board on what needs further attention before an application can be submitted.

Board member Ethan DiMaria and others pointed out that the state Office of Cannabis Management is a new institution—and that reviewing and approving cannabis businesses will therefore involve a degree of scrutiny.

At the Thursday, April 20, meeting of the Pine Plains Town Board, the board passed an amendment to local law that would allow for cannabis dispensary businesses to operate in the town.

Andrew Gordon, a representative of Carson Power, gave a detailed account of what recommendations from both the public and the board have been incorporated into the still-developing revised site plans, and what information is still forthcoming.

Under the revised plans, the ridge line at the southeastern edge of the property will now obscure sight to the panels from Bean River Road. Gordon also detailed that 12-foot-tall trees will be planted in segments of open field to further obscure the equipment from the southeastern part of town, and that there will be native plantings  around fencing to help mitigate environmental impact.

Matt Allen of Saratoga Associates gave a presentation of a 3D viewshed map he had been contacted by Carson Power to develop that outlines in clearer detail the visibility impact the project will have on nearby properties.

For the board’s Wednesday, May 10, meeting, Carson Power will provide a bedrock survey, a glare study, additional information on tree disposal, further visual studies, and possibly updates on environmental habitat impact evaluations. Once all the new material has been provided, an additional public hearing will be scheduled for the project; then the board will make a State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) determination.

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