Solargen Energy sustained a setback today in its efforts to
build a 420-megawatt solar farm in Panoche Valley when a panel made
a recommendation that
– if confirmed by supervisors – would halt the proposal from
moving ahead.
Solargen Energy sustained a setback today in its efforts to build a 420-megawatt solar farm in Panoche Valley when a panel made a recommendation that – if confirmed by supervisors – would halt the proposal from moving ahead.
The San Benito County Agricultural Preserve Advisory Committee voted 3-2 to deny a recommendation to cancel the Williamson Act contracts on property in Panoche Valley where Solargen plans to develop its large-scale solar project.
The Panoche Valley project is a 420-megawatt solar farm that would cover more than 16,000 acres – 4,800 by solar panels.
The Williamson Act contracts must be canceled for the project to move forward, said Tom Slavich, San Benito County assessor.
“If the contract cancellations are denied, it effectively halts the project,” Slavich said.
The recommendation to deny the request will be sent to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, which will make the final decision on whether to accept the cancellations. The decision is expected in the coming weeks.
The Williamson Act is a conservation act passed in 1965 that allows counties to contract with private owners to restrict agricultural and open-space uses. The landowner receives a lower tax assessment. Since 1971, counties received subvention payments from the state until it was canceled because of the economy in 2009.
The county placed a moratorium on Williamson Act contracts earlier in the year due to the loss of subvention payments, Slavich said.
After nearly three hours of discussion today, the decision came rather quickly for the committee after Co-chairmen Joe Morris said that the cancellation was not in the public’s best interest.
In order for the cancellation request to be approved, the request needed to be in the “public’s interest.” The only other way to rid a piece of land of the Williamson Act is to apply for a non-renewable termination, which takes nine years.
The county has never approved the cancellation of a Williamson Act contract, Slavich said.
Look back for more on this story, including discussion during today’s meeting.
