Skippack Township is located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia. Because the area experiences a lot of development, individual projects are less likely to catch the attention of residents except the super-engaged. This makes it all the more important that Cranberry Hollow is adequately socialized with core audiences in the township. The developer is most likely to experience concerns about over-development and impacts on property values due to the preexisting level of development and single-family homes in the area. While the area may not be subject to “Clean & Green,” residents will have a culture of land preservation, with major community players like the Historical Society and others potentially leaning towards preserving the agricultural heritage over new energy development.
Relevant State Issues
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) membership: Pennsylvania is currently in the process of joining the multi-state greenhouse gas reduction effort after a multi-year battle in Harrisburg and litigation by Republicans, as well as some utilities and labor unions to keep the state out of the program. This is a statewide issue and may be less well understood in Lawrence County, but avoid talking about RGGI or making any, even tacit, connections between the Firefly project and RGGI obligations. The issue is very divisive especially in western PA and among unions.
Farmland Preservation: Pennsylvania has one of the most, if not the most, ambitious farmland conservation program in the country. This issue does not appear directly relevant to the Cranberry Hollow project because none of the land in the project’s footprint is currently reserved under the Clean & Green or other preservation programs. Be aware that there is a culture and incentives for preserving farmland in the region.
- Clean & Green: “Clean and Green is a preferential tax assessment program, that bases property taxes on use values rather than fair market values. This ordinarily results in a tax savings for landowners. The Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted the program in 1974 as a tool to encourage protection of the Commonwealth's valuable farmland, forestland and open spaces.” Solar and biomass are permitted on Clean & Green enrolled lands without any tax rollback penalty if a majority of the energy is used on the enrolled tract, therefore, any tracts enrolled in Clean & Green will likely need to be removed from enrollment, which requires rollback taxes be paid on the property.
Threats and Opportunities
Property values: Montgomery County is a relatively high-earning, education region of Pennsylvania. Skippack Township residents, because of the community’s wealth and single-family suburban character, may be concerned about the solar development’s impacts on property values in the area. While the same homes are in proximity to a state prison and other industrial features like power transmission lines, these concerns could be an organizing issue for potential opposition groups. The Cranberry Hollow developer and community liaisons should be prepared with data that shows negligible impacts of values–these alone will not complete prevent property values from being an issue, but it will help the company manage those concerns.
Perkiomen Creek runoff: There are already serious concerns in the region about local flooding and poor public infrastructure for collecting rain water. The Perkiomen Creek is a natural asset for the local community and is directly downhill from the Cranberry Hollow site. The developer should be prepared to answer questions about erosion and creek health. The more specific the developer can be about mitigation plans, the better.
- The creek has already experienced major flooding events.
Built on SCI Phoenix (prison) buffer property: The Cranberry Hollow project is planned for the under-utilized land surrounding the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institute (SCI) Phoenix. This presents several opportunities such as offering a more productive use of the land, simplifies the stakeholder community, and already has some industrial viewsheds so a utility-scale project would not significantly worsen the viewshed, etc.
- Note that the prison already has existing relationships with some local universities, creating ready-made opportunities to leverage those partnerships. For example, Villanova and Temple Universities both have “Inside-Out Prison Exchange Programs.” Cranberry Hollow could engage in a workforce partnership with the universities, etc.
Montgomery County has a history of being pro-solar: Montgomery County has historically been pro-solar development and has supported incentives for rooftop solar. Montgomery County is earned a silver SolSmart designation from The Solar Foundation. “SolSmart is a national designation program that provides a framework for municipalities and counties to reduce soft costs and take action to become more supportive of solar PV in their communities.” The county is not the decision-maker in this case, however, the Cranberry Hollow project can lean on the county’s historic goodwill towards the resource and frame itself as progress and the next natural step for the county’s clean energy future. Take time to review some of these additional resources to understand the county’s vision and existing opportunities:
- Montgomery County Solar Information
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Solar Best Practices (this resource also contains information for local governments to improve their processes).
- DVRPC Renewable Energy Ordinance Framework - Solar PV
- DVRPC “Connections 2050 - Plan for Greater Philadelphia” (renewable energy, including solar, is a key element of the DVRPC’s regional guidelines and policy recommendations for reducing GHG emissions and improving air quality).
- Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan “Montco 2040: A Shared Vision” (produced by the Montgomery County Planning Commission, this report is to guide Montgomery County’s medium- and long-term planning decisions. It specifically called out climate and the tangible impacts it is already having on the county such as increased flooding. It recommends building more renewable energy and upgrading infrastructure).
- “Pennsylvania’s Solar Future” Plan
- Department of Environmental Protection - Solar Developer Resources
- DEP Permit Application Consultation Tool
- Department of Environmental Protection - Local Government Resources
