Lodestar Energy is seeking state approval to build a 4.65-megawatt solar array on the site of a former golf course in Simsbury, a proposal that has drawn concerns from the town’s chief elected official. The West Hartford-based developer filed a petition with the Connecticut Siting Council late last year to construct an 18.2-acre solar installation on a portion of 140 Nod Road, the 118-acre property that once housed Tower Ridge Golf Club. The site now hosts a mix of uses including a disc golf facility and the Talcott Mountain Collective event venue. Because the project exceeds 1 megawatt, it bypasses local zoning laws, going straight to the Siting Council for approval. A public hearing is scheduled for April 23, with an evidentiary session beginning at 2 p.m. and a public comment session at 6:30 p.m. Simsbury First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis wrote to the council in December raising a series of objections, primarily that the solar panels would be visible from the historic Heublein Tower on the Talcott Mountain ridgeline and from within the surrounding state park. Mackstutis also pointed out that a large portion of the array appears to fall within a Special Flood Hazard Area, with several wetland pockets nearby, and that the proposed landscaping plan falls short of adequately screening the project from the Nod Road corridor. The town also noted that the property owner — Simsbury Real Estate Holdings owes — $316,930 in delinquent taxes, and asked the council to require payment before any approval is granted, or to make it a condition of the decision. The Siting Council voted in January to hold a public hearing at Simsbury’s request, though the council noted that one is not legally required for a project of this type. The council’s deadline for a final decision is June 2.
Solar project near Heublein Tower sparks fight over Farmington Valley’s skyline
