By james art 
TRENTON—After months of work, a joint Town Planning Board committee and community task force on Tuesday, Jan. 21, presented the Trenton Select Board with two different versions of a proposed change to the town’s land use ordinances regarding future solar projects.
A push to limit commercial solar projects in Trenton began in earnest last year as the planning board worked on amendments to land use ordinances that would allow commercial solar farms of up to 30 acres. Prior to this proposed amendment, there was no maximum amount in the ordinance. However, the proposed changes would allow these solar farms up to 30 acres in two of the city’s residential zones: residential rural and residential.
One member of a citizens group called Neighbors Against More Large Scale Solar Development, Christina Heiniger, sent a comment to Ellsworth American in early March 2024, voicing concerns about the project.
“In its revision of our current solar land use ordinance, the Trenton Planning Board is proposing changes to the definitions of both our city’s residential rural and residential growth zones to allow solar farms up to 30 acres in these areas. This changes the nature and character of these areas away from residential areas to areas that allow large commercial enterprises,” Heiniger wrote.
“The inclusion of commercial large-scale solar farms in residential neighborhoods is inconsistent with the current language in Article III of the Land Use Ordinance,” she wrote. “They don’t belong there, as they are not in keeping with the residential areas. In general, residents of these residential areas have purchased their homes and properties with the assumption that these areas should be consistent with traditional rural and residential neighborhoods. The proposed rewording of Article III could or would change that dramatically.
Neighbors opposed to larger solar development recommended no vote on the planning board’s proposed ordinance changes.
The city previously imposed a moratorium on commercial solar farm development. The moratorium came after a developer proposed a 70-megawatt solar farm near the city’s industrial park. Approximately 300 acres of land would be cleared.
In May 2024, at Trenton’s annual town meeting, proposed changes to the ordinance were overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 180-50.
That result prompted the town to create a task force that consisted of selectman Charles Farley and six citizens. Five citizens are serving members and one is an alternate: Janet Peabody, Steve Eddy, Greg Askins, Emily Muise, Christina Heiniger, and the alternate is Maria Gott. This group was intended to work with the planning board to bring forward an alternative proposal recommended by the planning board to the select board.
Between the creation of the task force and Tuesday night’s presentation, the elected council extended the moratorium in September for another 180 days.
During Tuesday night’s presentation, Planning Board Chairman Mark Remick told the board of selectmen that the planning board did not recommend any of the options proposed by the commission, but the planning board took the recommendations and brought them to the board for choice.
The Planning Board also felt the two proposals took away property owners’ rights to use their land as they see fit.
According to a weekly board meeting summary email posted by board member-elect Daniel Monahan, one of the proposals allows commercial solar projects in certain commercial districts up to 20 acres. These areas are the business park and the entrance shopping areas.
The second proposal “does not allow any medium- or large-scale commercial solar development, period, and only allows commercial entities to have ‘ancillary uses’ of solar energy.” Accessory use, as I understand it, means that businesses can have enough rooftop or ground-based solar power for their own consumption, but they can’t sell the power,” Monahan wrote.
The problem with putting two possible land use ordinance changes on the ballot at the same time, as the board of elections recognized, was that they did not compete with each other on the ballot and both could actually be voted into effect. The city would then have two different and conflicting ordinances that were now part of the land use ordinance.
The elected chairman of the board R. Frederick Erlenbach suggested holding a special town meeting to vote on one of the proposals before the actual annual town meeting. This would give a proposal a chance to fail and not be voted on. However, if it wins, it will likely remain as a change to the new ordinance.
If the proposed ordinance change that is on the special town meeting ballot fails, the other proposed ordinance change will be placed on the regular annual town meeting ballot.
The select board talked about this option and there seems to be a consensus to move forward with this idea. After further discussion, it was decided that they would also vote to table the proposal, which includes commercial development on up to 20 acres in the business park and gateway areas.
The rationale behind this option was that it was the least restrictive and closest to the proposed change to the ordinance that was rejected last May.
The select board voted to place one proposal, the proposal that includes commercial development on up to 20 acres, on a special ballot at town meeting. The vote was three to one in favour. Board member-elect Daniel Cole voted against the motion, with member John Bennett absent.
A public hearing on this proposed ordinance change, which includes commercial development on up to 20 acres in the business park and entrance areas, is scheduled for Feb. 12.
A special town meeting to vote on the proposed ordinance change, which includes commercial development on up to 20 acres in the business park and entrance areas, is scheduled for March 10, from 2-6 p.m. Trenton City Hall will close for regular business at 2pm on March 10th.
The next regular board meeting will be on February 4, 2025. from 7 p.m
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