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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAbundant - 12.5.19 - DAS Letter to Groton re solar array The Guaranty Building, 140 Pearl Street, Suite 100 | Buffalo, New York 14202-4040 | 716.856.4000 | HodgsonRuss.com Albany  Buffalo  New York  Palm Beach  Saratoga Springs  Toronto Daniel Spitzer, Esq. Partner Direct Dial: 716-848-1420 Direct Fax: 716-819-4650 dspitzer@hodgsonruss.com December 5, 2019 Via E-mail Honorable Supervisor and Members of the Town Board of the Town of Groton 101 Conger Blvd. P.O. Box 36 Groton, NY 13073 April L. Scheffler, RMC 101 Conger Blvd. P.O. Box 36 Groton, NY 13073 Re: Abundant Solar Power Proposed Groton Solar Array 704 Cortland Road, Town of Groton On behalf of Abundant Solar Power, I want to thank the Town for moving forward the application for a solar array. We have received the comments of Tim Buhl, the DOT, and the County Planning Board, and a response to each comment from LaBella Engineers is attached. Also attached is an updated site plan, confirming this is a five megawatt AC solar project. As a result of the clarification of the project size, the potential environmental impacts have been significantly reduced. The ground disturbance has been reduced by approximately 27%, almost entirely in the forested and potential wetland areas. We look forward to addressing these changes and the project with you. In addition, it is essential the Town Board also move forward the request for financial assistance from the Industrial Development Authority. Absent that assistance there will The Guaranty Building, 140 Pearl Street, Suite 100 | Buffalo, New York 14202-4040 | 716.856.4000 | HodgsonRuss.com Albany  Buffalo  New York  Palm Beach  Saratoga Springs  Toronto be no solar project. Members of the Board articulated excellent reasons for being concerned about tax breaks, but those concerns focused on the shifting of the tax burden to residents to support new development. But that is simply not the case here. This project will not impose any burdens on the community – no new school children or electric use of the Village’s allocation of cheap electricity. This project will increase the wealth of the community through PILOT and tax payments, as well as the benefit to local area businesses and employees through construction costs (particularly labor, and the expenditures by local employees). You are being asked to vote on supporting a project that will reduce the overall tax burden in the Town, not shift costs to others. Absent that support, as the project cannot pay full taxes, you will be missing an opportunity to reduce that burden. Given there is no alternative opportunity – there are no tax- producing opportunities available for the subject site – we respectfully suggest the best interests of the community are advanced by supporting the PILOT arrangement. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I greatly appreciated our conversation at the last meeting and look forward to continuing the dialogue. Very truly yours, Daniel A. Spitzer DAS/dcb Encls. cc: Richard Lu, President & CEO Rachel Clar, Director of Business Development, New York Dan Brocht, Senior Project Manager Fran Casullo, Town Attorney Robin Carigan, Deputy Town Clerk Rick Fritz, Code Official