A zoning hearing regarding a proposed solar farm in Albrightsville drew a smaller-than-expected crowd at the Jim Thorpe Fire Company as Plainfield Solar LLC and Lynx Associates Ltd. presented a substantive validity challenge to the township’s zoning ordinance.

Vice Chairman of the board of supervisors Christian Bartulovich commented on the attendance.

“I’m both surprised and disappointed as I assumed we have equal weight to issues facing our community,” Bartulovich said, referencing the large turnout at recent hearings involving proposed data centers. “It’s part and parcel of the same problems that come to the rural communities.”

Attorney Shawn N. Gallagher, representing Plainfield Solar LLC, questioned Jesse Montgomery, CEO of Clean Shift Energy of North Carolina, which owns Plainfield Solar.

Montgomery testified that factors in selecting the site included the property’s suitability for development, proximity to electrical infrastructure and the ability to sell energy. The proposed project is located at 0 N. Meckesville Road, Albrightsville.

During questioning by township Solicitor Tom Nanovic, Gallagher acknowledged that the applicant did not have a copy of a lease agreement with the property owner, Queen of Peace Missionary Associates.

“We do not have the lease but have authority from Queen of Peace,” Gallagher said.

Nanovic also questioned testimony regarding the total acreage of the property and the amount that would be used for the project, saying the figures presented did not appear to align. Testimony also addressed the increased costs associated with locating a project farther from existing infrastructure.

According to Montgomery, the project would utilize 327 acres that were reportedly clear-cut in 2021. The site would contain approximately 113,000 solar panels measuring 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide.

Montgomery testified that construction would take approximately 12 months and that the facility would be monitored remotely 24 hours a day, seven days a week after completion, with no permanent on-site staffing.

He said an estimated six to 10 trucks would enter and exit the site daily during construction and that “120 jobs will be provided during peak building.”

Montgomery testified that the project represents a $45 million investment and would “bring tax revenue which will be discretionary.” Zoning Hearing Board Chairwoman Audrey Wargo asked about wetlands on the property.

“We designed the project to avoid impact to the wetlands on the site,” Montgomery said.

He testified that a third-party survey will be conducted. Testimony also indicated that two bass species were identified on the property and that mitigation measures would be required through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional discussion focused on vegetation management and buffering around the site.

According to the application, the challenge alleges that the township’s “zoning ordinance and map do not provide for its fair share of this use, the zoning ordinance is unconstitutionally exclusionary and that the applicant is entitled to site specific relief.”

The applicant will be required to prove those claims.

After several hours of testimony, the hearing was continued to 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 27 at the Penn Forest Township building.