Catskill Center Highlights Solar Siting Guide as Practical Tool for Town and Planning Boards

ARKVILLE — The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development is encouraging town boards and planning boards across the Catskills to make use of its Guide to Solar Facility Development for Local Governments in the Catskills as they review and respond to growing numbers of solar proposals.

Prepared specifically for municipalities in the Catskills region, the guide helps local officials evaluate renewable energy projects in a way that supports New York State’s climate and clean energy goals while protecting local character, natural resources, and economic vitality.

“Our goal with this guide is to give local governments a clear, practical framework for responding to renewable energy applications,” said Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the Catskill Center. “Town and planning boards are being asked important questions about where and how solar should fit into their communities, and this guide lays out the tools they can use to answer those questions thoughtfully and consistently.”

The Guide to Solar Facility Development for Local Governments in the Catskills includes:

Planning tools for town boards – How to use comprehensive plans, open space plans, farmland protection plans, and Natural Resource Inventories to identify where solar is appropriate and where key resources should be conserved.

Review tools for planning boards – Site plan and special use permit checklists that walk boards through issues such as SEQR, viewsheds, glare, noise, stormwater, habitat, prime soils, and decommissioning.

Local law and zoning options – Examples of zoning districts, solar overlay districts, setbacks, screening, and standards to protect scenic, agricultural, and ecological resources.

Best practices for large and small projects – Guidance on small-scale systems, dual-use agrivoltaics, and battery storage, with ideas for aligning projects with community values and safety needs.

Connections to state programs – Links to NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities, the NYS Climate Smart Communities program, hosting capacity maps, and model laws that municipalities can adapt.

“Many boards are starting from a place of wanting to be fair to applicants, responsive to residents, and consistent with state policy, but without a single, go-to reference,” Senterman added. “This guide pulls the key information, checklists, and example standards into one place so local governments can respond to solar and storage proposals with confidence.”

While the guide is available to anyone, it is written primarily for town and village boards, planning boards, and zoning boards of appeals throughout the Catskills. Municipalities can use it to update local plans, draft or revise solar laws, structure application reviews, or guide temporary moratoria while policies are being developed.

The Guide to Solar Facility Development for Local Governments in the Catskills can be downloaded at: catskillcenter.org/advocacy#solarguide

Town, village, and county officials who would like a virtual briefing or in-person presentation for their board or a regional workshop are encouraged to contact the Catskill Center for more information at cccd@catskillcenter.org.