Proposed solar facility won't harm environment, Riverhead board says

A proposed 22.9-megawatt solar facility in Calverton took another step forward Tuesday when the Riverhead Town Board voted 3-2 to approve a resolution stating the facility will have no major adverse environmental impacts on the surrounding area.

The board voted to issue a negative State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, declaration on the project, which is proposed by LI Solar Generation LLC, a partner of NextEra Energy Resources LLC. The facility would be built on 197.4 acres at Edwards Avenue and River Road.

Attorneys representing the project applicants did not return requests for comment.

Councilwoman Catherine Kent voted against the project, reiterating previous concerns she had regarding the facility's potential impact in the area.

“Not only is all the solar in the area going to Riverhead, but the solar is also going into the 11933 ZIP code in the Calverton area, so I am — along with everybody else — concerned with the cumulative effects of that,” Kent said.

Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, who also voted against it, said she felt the town needed to further assess the project’s impact.

Councilman Tim Hubbard said that though he didn’t like the idea of more solar in Riverhead, he felt the applicants answered “all the questions that needed to be answered” in the SEQRA process.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said the town had held three public discussions on the facility since October, and she supported the town planning staff’s recommendation on the SEQRA declaration.

The town board will next decide whether to grant the project a special permit that is necessary to start construction, Riverhead building and planning administrator Jefferson Murphree said after the meeting.