Solar Array Proposed for Felton Meadow

By Mary Andersen

A commercial solar energy company has applied to Santa Cruz County for permits to build a large ground-mounted solar array on the Felton Meadow adjacent to the Felton Fair shopping center on property owned by Mount Hermon Christian Camps & Conference Center. A sign on the property confirms, “The proposed site will be located on the slope of the hill south of Mt. Hermon Rd with the solar arrays facing south approximately 200 ft from east to west and approximately 325 ft north to south.” 

While the project is still in the early stages of county review, it has already drawn attention from nearby residents.

What Is Being Proposed

Mars Energy Group, a commercial solar developer that designs, builds, and operates renewable energy projects for private and public clients, submitted a discretionary permit application in November 2025 to install an 835.44-kilowatt ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system on an 8.88-acre vacant parcel at the corner of Conference Drive and East Zayante Road. The project is known as the Mount Hermon Solar Array (Application No. 251463).

The solar installation is intended to provide electricity for private use only, specifically to serve the Mount Hermon Conference Center, of which this parcel is one of several making up the organization’s roughly 440-acre Felton campus. Any excess energy generated would offset the conference center’s own electricity use. No battery or energy storage system is part of the proposal, and the project would not sell power to the grid.

The system, at just over 835 kilowatts, is considered a medium-scale commercial installation. For context, a project of this size could power several hundred average homes, though in this case, the output is earmarked entirely for the conference center.

The Site and Its Sensitivities

The parcel is currently undeveloped and sits within a designated Scenic View Corridor, fronting two roads identified in the County General Plan as scenic: Conference Drive and East Zayante Road. The site’s location — at the visible edge of Felton’s town center, adjacent to a residential neighborhood to the northeast — has raised questions from community members about how a large field of solar panels would affect the area’s appearance and character.

County planning staff have also noted the presence of presumed sensitive biological habitat on the site, including oak woodland and possible coastal scrub on the northern knoll. These features, combined with the scenic-corridor location, runoff issues, and neighborhood proximity, mean the project will face significant scrutiny before any permits are issued.

What Permits Are Required

Because of the site’s Special Use (SU) zoning and the scale and visual setting of the project, Mars Energy Group must obtain three separate discretionary approvals from the County:

• A Conditional Use Permit (CUP), because utility-type facilities in the SU zone require county approval before they can be built.
• A Conditional Site Development Permit (CSP), triggered by the size of the non-residential development.
• Design Review, required for all new commercial or industrial construction in a Scenic View Corridor.

The decision will be made by the County’s Zoning Administrator at a public hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Where Things Stand — and What Comes Next

The application was submitted in November 2025 and is now listed on the County’s Major Projects page as “Application Deemed Complete.” This is a procedural milestone that means staff have what they need to begin formal environmental and technical review.

That review will include an environmental analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which will look at potential impacts related to aesthetics, biological resources, noise, and other factors. Depending on what that analysis finds, the county could issue a simpler environmental document or require a more extensive one — a distinction that significantly affects the public comment timeline.

According to County Planner Rebecca Rockom, “There is precedent for this project — on a site adjacent to the Chaminade Resort, a 2018 application was submitted and approved for an array of 1,068 photovoltaic panels installed on approximately 21,000 square feet. That approval included the removal of 100 eucalyptus trees, 7 live oaks and 6 Monterey pines. So, in comparison, this project will (hopefully) have a much smaller impact.” The Mt. Hermon array will encompass 65,000 square feet according to planning documents. 

Neighbors and community members will have formal opportunities to weigh in during both the CEQA public comment period and the Zoning Administrator hearing. No public meetings have been held or scheduled yet.

More Info

Santa Cruz County Project Planner: Rebecca Rockom, Rebecca.Rockom@santacruzcountyca.gov
Mount Hermon Christian Camps & Conference Center
Mars Energy Group

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Contact Mary Andersen | Photos by Julie Horner

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