The Warwick City Council unanimously approved on Monday evening the first step towards allowing a Maine-based solar company to build a 500 kWh, 2-acre solar farm with 40 rows composed of an estimated 880 total solar panels near the banks of the Pawtuxet River off East Avenue.

Smart Energy Holdings LLC officially petitioned the city, in coordination with the office of K. Joseph Shekarchi, to receive approval for a zoning use change to allow them to produce solar energy and to receive two zoning ordinance waivers regarding required setbacks from the residential properties in the immediate surroundings.

The land on which the array is proposed, approximately 8.5 acres in total between two separate parcels, is owned by Warwick resident Kevin Rossi. Rossi is leasing the land long-term to Smart Energy to be able to produce power for the state of Rhode Island for 20 years as part of the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Growth program.

The array would be capable of producing enough power for nearly 600 homes annually, said Smart Energy president Tom Donnelly.

The unanimous vote in approval of the project happened after about an hour of deliberation from city officials and the public. Donnelly said on Tuesday that the company had met with neighbors in the area twice, in addition to taking individuals out for site walks who had concerns about the project.

“We have met with the neighbors as well in neighborhood meetings to ensure they're okay with what we're looking to do,” said Joseph Brennan, associate attorney of Shekarchi Law Offices, at the hearing. “They realize that, being a solar farm, some trees will have to be knocked down. Ironically, one of the neighbors that attended, that was one of their requests anyways. So we're working hand-in-hand with neighbors and with respecting agencies to continue to move the project forward.”

It isn’t known at this time how many trees on the 5-acre parcel, which borders the Pawtuxet River and has a fair amount of foliage on site, will need to be removed in order to erect the array, but Brennan said that Smart Energy is very open to the idea of planting new trees in the city to make amends for those that do have to be removed – an idea suggested by Council President Joseph Solomon.

Other concerns include visibility of the array, which some in the neighborhood had feared would be a blight on the neighborhood. One neighbor tried to alleviate those concerns during the public comment portion of the hearing.

“This piece of property is located behind the residences on East Avenue,” said neighborhood resident Henry Cruciani. “You can't see it from the road if you're driving on East Avenue towards the river from Route 2. I hope you keep your eyes on the road, because if you’re looking to the right to try and notice the solar farm, you will not be paying attention. This is 200 feet from the road and you will not be able to see it.”

In addition to its setback position from the main drag of East Avenue, Brennan confirmed the company will be erecting a 6-foot tall fence around the array. The height of the panels will be 6.5 feet tall. There was some talk of additional foliage options that could further provide some aesthetic shielding without impeding the efficiency of the array.

Others tried to put in perspective that the land – which is already zoned for light industry – could be leased by the owner to many other much more disruptive uses.

“As light industrial goes, you're not going to get any better use for the neighborhood than you would in a light industrial zone,” said city planning director William Pasquale. “It has the least amount of impact on the neighboring residences.”

“From my perspective it's much more beneficial to have a solar farm there than a staging area for used cars or a recycling facility,” agreed Cruciani.

The city council also concurred, and appreciated that the applicant took time to meet with neighbors.

“This seems to be a lot less intrusive than what could go there and so hopefully it's less impactful than an alternative,” said Ward 9 Councilman Steve Merolla. “One nice thing about this project is that it has to come before the council. A light industrial project [without the need for zoning waivers] does not have to come before the council.”

The project requires a zoning waiver for setbacks due to a 30-foot easement mandated by the Kent County Water Authority to protect a water main that runs below the ground through the area. The project could not adhere to both the 100-foot setback requirement and the 30-foot easement. As a solution, Smart Energy is proposing a 40-foot setback from the surrounding residencies instead.

If it passes a second reading by the council, the project is anticipated to be completed in two phases, one beginning this year and the second phase concluding some time in 2020. The project will coincide at times with a re-paving of East Avenue. The applicant would be responsible for repairing any damage that occurs to the road following or during its paving, which Brennan said was not a concern.

“We don't anticipate any issues with solar panel construction,” he said. “It is light construction.”

Donnelly said that he was very impressed with the organization of the city’s planning department and the hard work of city departments to streamline the process and make it simple to figure out what was needed.

“The city of Warwick is not the easiest process but it is a very fair process. The public servants working for the city do a tremendous job,” he said. “Working with the planning department, they tell you the need and what the community tells you what it wants and how we should approach it…They’ve all been very forthcoming.”