Riverhead board weighs moratorium to halt some solar projects in Calverton

Riverhead officials are considering enacting a moratorium in Calverton on solar farm projects.

The town board will look to schedule a public hearing on whether the town should halt those projects. Residents and town officials have expressed concerns that too many solar projects were proposed or enacted in recent years.

Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar told Newsday on Wednesday that the moratorium would not affect residential or commercial solar properties.

"Now that we are fully clear and there are no applications pending, I’m going to request that it be voted in and let the comprehensive plan address solar in the future," Aguiar said.

A solar moratorium was discussed last year but was put off after Riverhead’s legal team told town officials they could be subject to lawsuits over pending projects in Calverton — a 36-megawatt solar facility from Riverhead Solar 2 LLC and a 22.9-megawatt solar facility proposed by LI Solar Generation LLC, a partner of NextEra Energy Resources LLC. Both projects have since been approved.

At the board’s Aug. 26 work session, most of the council members agreed a moratorium was the correct course for the town to take.

Councilman Tim Hubbard said Riverhead had been caught "off guard" in recent years by solar farm applications coming in at one point at "a rapid rate."

"With the comprehensive plan being done, I think this would be an absolute perfect time to put a moratorium on solar farms so we can take a step back, look at it and address it properly in the comprehensive plan before we decide to move on and get rid of the moratorium," Hubbard said.

Councilwoman Catherine Kent said she does support a moratorium but also wants Calverton residents to be able to give their opinion on the proposal in a public forum. Kent also questioned the timing of the proposed moratorium after the two Calverton solar projects had been approved.

"At this point we already have these two projects coming in, but because the people of Calverton have a right to weigh in, we should pause, take a look at this and bring people in…and give the people of Calverton an opportunity to speak up on this topic," she said.

Councilman Ken Rothwell replied that a moratorium was necessary to evaluate the impact of future solar projects in Calverton.

The board will likely vote to advertise the hearing on Wednesday at its next regular meeting, Aguiar said.