- Target:
- Hopkinton Town Council
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.gofundme.com
Thanks to everyone who signed the petition and supported this campaign.
The town council voted to approve zone change for the Skunk Hill Road solar project on June 10, 2019 by a vote of 3-2 (Landolfi, Thompson and Capalbo in favor; Davis and Hirst opposing).
The decision by the town council to approve the rezoning was appealed in a complaint to Superior Court signed by 97 Hopkinton residents on August 16, 2019.
Superior Court judge Sarah Taft-Hartley dismissed the complaint "without prejudice" on February 17, 2020 on the basis that the complaint, as presented, was too detailed. The decision permitted the plaintiffs to refile the case in amended form.
On March 13, 2020, the plaintiffs petitioned the RI Supreme Court to appeal Judge Taft-Hartley's decision to dismiss the case.
On June 2, 2020, the plaintiffs then also refiled the complaint in a shortened form to reassert their appeal of the town council approval of the rezoning on the basis that the Council's action violated numerous state statutes and town ordinances.
The appeal to the RI Supreme Court of the judge's dismissal of the original complaint and the refiled appeal of the original complaint in Superior Court are both waiting to be heard.
Councilors Landolfi, Thompson and Capalbo have all declined to run for re-election to the town council in 2020. There are a total of eight candidates running for election to the Council, including the two remaining incumbents.
Four of the candidates (Clifford Heil, Robert Marvel, Stephen Moffit and Steven Wiehl) have stated that they were motivated to run by their desire to bring significant reforms to the operation of town government and because of their opposition to spot zoning of residential property for industrial solar development.
Incumbents Sharon Davis and Scott Bill Hirst have also repeatedly stated their opposition to spot zoning of residential property to permit utility scale solar development.
We urge all petitioners to support these legal actions, which are expensive but vitally important to preserving the character of our community.
We also urge everyone to vote in 2020 for town council candidates who oppose spot zoning and who are committed to implementing substantive reforms to heal our community. They will need your support now, and in the future to bring about constructive changes.
Thank you for your past and continued support.
Eric Bibler
This is a petition by residents of Hopkinton, RI to the members of the Hopkinton Town Council asking the Council NOT to enact new legislation to enable the installation of a large commercial solar array in a residential area.
The applicant, SKUNK HILL SOLAR, LLC, has requested that the Hopkinton Town Council pass two related ordinances to amend the town's Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map to rezone 172 acres of property from RFR-80 rural residential use to "commercial special - solar only" and to allow the applicant to install and operate a utility scale solar energy power plant to manufacture electricity.
The Town Council is under no obligation to provide such legislation to the applicant and can simply refuse to do so.
The subject property is situated in a rural, residential zone, surrounded by other residential property, where the commercial manufacture of electricity is prohibited.
The Hopkinton Planning Board has reviewed the project and issued an adverse Advisory Opinion on December 7, 2018, recommending that the Town Council DENY the applicant's request on the basis that the proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map are not consistent the goals and objectives of the Plan.
Please indicate on the petition whether you are an abutter, a nearby neighbor (2500 foot radius) or a Hopkinton resident.
See the list of abutters and neighbors, and other information on the Skunk Hill Solar project, here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q5po20wx1qn6v4l/AACecE4ld7g38ooaBteFAuBZa?dl=0
We also urge Hopkinton residents to take a moment to sign our petition against the Atlantic Solar, LLC project here:
Say No to Atlantic Solar! (Near 568 Main Street) Petition
In addition to the petitions against these specific projects, we also urge Hopkinton residents to sign our "Keep Hopkinton Country!" petition opposing the threat of solar sprawl and the practice of "spot zoning" to accommodate the efforts of solar developers to industrialize rural, residential neighborhoods in Hopkinton.
Keep Hopkinton Country! Say No to Spot Zoning and Industrial Solar Sprawl Petition
Finally, here is a link to our crowd funding campaign to pay legal expenses:
PETITION TO THE HOPKINTON TOWN COUNCIL
To DENY the Request by SKUNK HILL SOLAR, LLC, et al,
For Enactment of Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Map Amendments
At 145 Skunk Hill - AP 18 Lot 14; and
At Arcadia Rd and Lisa Lane - AP 18 Lots 8 & 13
The undersigned residents of Hopkinton, including legal abutters who own property within 200 feet of the above referenced property and nearby neighbors within a radius of 2500 feet, respectfully request that the Hopkinton Town Council DENY its approval for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and a Zoning Map Amendment to allow the installation of an industrial solar power plant in a rural, residential RFR-80 zone, where the commercial manufacture of electricity is strictly prohibited.
We CONCUR with the determination of the Hopkinton Planning Board, expressed in its adverse Advisory Opinion to the Town Council dated December 7, 2018, that the applicant’s proposal is not consistent with the following elements of the town’s Comprehensive Plan:
1) Goal NR- 1, “To preserve, conserve, and protect the significant natural resources of Hopkinton as an endowment for the future of the town”;
2) Objective NR-1, “Protect and manage important forest resources and wetland systems to meet the demands of recreation, water supply, wildlife habitat, forest products and a high-quality environment”; and
3) Policy PSF-15, “Endorse future land development that is sustainable, energy efficient, and in accordance with the Town’s Future Land Use Map”.
We SUPPORT the efforts of the Hopkinton Planning Board to preserve the rural character of the Town of Hopkinton; to faithfully adhere to the stated goals of the town's Comprehensive Plan; and to defend the integrity of the established planning and zoning process for our town.
The Say No to Skunk Hill Solar! petition to Hopkinton Town Council was written by Hopkinton Citizens for Responsible Planning and is in the category City & Town Planning at GoPetition.