CHESTERTOWN — Urban Grid is moving forward with plans to plant 250 acres of solar panels across three properties on Morgnec Road. The question before the county now is what that site plan will look like.
The issue of berm placement — an artificial ridge or embankment designed to shield infrastructure from the road — was put before Kent County officials, July 11, during the Kent County Planning Commission public hearing with Urban Grid, the company building it —Morgnec Road Solar LLC.
Representatives of Urban Grid, headquartered in Houston, Texas, visited the commissioners to present their preliminary plan, hoping for approval.
The commission did not grant that.
Most of them felt they hadn’t received enough information from Urban Grid yet.
Planning Commissioner Bill Crowding, said of their plan, “It’s the cheapest, unimaginative thing they can put out there. At some point we got to...start building these things better.”
Crowding reminded Urban Grid this project was opposed by the County, referencing the 2022 order granted by the Maryland Public Service Commission to Urban Grid to move forward with their installation on Morgnec Road.
In 2022, a Public Utility Law judge stated the solar field would not unreasonably interfere with likely growth of Chestertown during the Project’s lifecycle. Urban Grid was also granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity by the Public Utility Commission. Their decision according to court documents was based in part on the “best interest of the public.”
The county is now tasked with how this project will be best situated on the site.
Chair of the Commission Kent County Planning Joseph Hickman felt he needed more information before approval. It was determined Urban Grid return at a later date, with a revised plan.
Urban Grid Chief Development Officer Matt McClusky expressed confidence in what was presented.
Roads, a perimeter fence, power connections and the landscape buffer plan were added from the conceptual plan.
Nick Leffner P.E, from Kimley Horn and Associates, civil engineer for the project, walked the commissioners through the minor revisions.
With a landscape buffer around the entire site, access roads will be created. Top soil must be removed, then paved, and the soil eventually put back.
Leffner talked about the kind of vegetation they’ll plant within the landscape buffer. Along Morgnec Road, they’ll avoid shrubs, opting instead to plant semi-deciduous trees, irrigated with water trucks to avoid over-spraying.
He corrected a misconception of an ad placed in various local newspapers that the tree buffer will be a straight line. He said it’ll be more staggered, naturalistic, shaped more like a helix.
But most notably, Urban Grid staff did not propose a berm at this time. “Rather than having ground cover and shrubs competing for space we went for more trees incorporated in the buffer,” he said.
Crowding, hoping the land will go back to an agricultural use one day, had concerns about grading of the land.
He said staring at the property from the road, there are about 50 elevation differences. How can they not grade for the solar panels to give them a smooth surface, he asked. “I can’t imagine that there’s not going to be some major earth-moving out there,” he said.
There will be additional stock piling of sediments on-site, Leffner answered, with no sediment to be removed off-site.
Regarding infrastructure, Leffner acknowledged they chose the substation to be the point of interconnection for the convenience of the applicant and the utility. The power generated ties into the Delmarva Power Line grid — one of the vantage points in choosing Morgnec Road.
“At the point of interconnection, there’s going to be longterm infrastructure owned by Delmarva Power,” noted McClusky. “Wherever we put our substation we’re going to have to connect it with an overhead line.”
If it’s located adjacent, like they proposed, McClusky pointed out, the line takes up less space and could be buried underground.
Saunders looking at the bigger picture, asked how the solar plant benefits Kent County.
Leffner stated there are many reasons including increased revenue, local jobs, power resiliency, and mowing and maintenance for local companies, he added.
Saunders asked since it’s going to Delmarva’s grid, does that mean the electric bill will come down? A question that met with snickers highlighting the absurdity.
Although it cannot be bought directly, [it] can be purchased, Leffner said.
Looking over the plan, Crowding shrugged.
“I think it’s lacking,” he said.
Crowding suggested a berm be included, higher than three feet.
McClusky contended a berm might mean more top soil removed. He said in some cases having a berm led to more property damage. Environmentally, berms affect the natural growth. He stated in some cases, it led to pools of water forming around the panels.
Crowding disagreed saying if a berm’s built correctly, it doesn’t do damage and the water would run off.
He was discouraged to see the plan they brought in.
Not everybody was though. Commissioner Paula Reeder commended Urban Grid for planning to put in pollinator corridors. She said there’s a level of hypocrisy coming from her fellow commissioners, indicating there are six commercial and industrial businesses in the area with no shielding whatsoever from the road.
She felt like a berm was not necessary.
But despite her protestations, the question for the berm prevailed above all others.
County Attorney Tom Yeager said the ordinance is written that an applicant is required to provide a berm unless a waiver is granted. The applicant would need to show to the board the conditions of meeting the waiver is met, and then the board would grant the waiver or not.
Public comment weighed heavily in opposition to Urban Grid.
Janet Christensen-Lewis of Kent Conservation and Preservation Alliance said Urban Grid’s Master Plan for walking trails disappeared after a 2019 Public Service Commission hearing, and the new plan was for screening only. “All public amenities like access to Morgnec Creek and walking trees had been removed,” she said of the current site plan
Architect Tom Kocubinski of Chestertown, proposed a series of undulating berms that roll with the landscape.
Kennedyville resident Pat Langenfelder encouraged the commissioners to “hold Urban Grid’s feet to the fire to building berms” with 200 acres of solar panels being unsightly.
Agreeing with Langenfelder, Doug West of Quaker Neck Landing Road said the same thing, mentioning the facility in Queen Anne’s is an eye sore with weeds taller than the surrounding trees.
Other comments asked for the design to be more walkable and include biodiversity. Jennifer Vaccaro reading comment for ShoreRivers Chester Riverkeeper Anne Richards, called for 100% native species in the plantings included in the site plan.
During their closing, Urban Grid said they were willing to revise their plan, but are limited since it’s not their property.
“I’m not saying berms is a definite solution,” Crowding said, but he wasn’t confident Urban Grid had provided a suitable alternative. Hickman said there’s simply “not enough meat on the bones to have preliminary approval.”
With the commission tabling the decision for another date, Urban Grid was tasked with resubmitting an edited site plan.
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