Community Meeting on Felton Meadow Solar Array Is Tonight

By Mary Andersen

A community meeting on the proposed Mount Hermon Solar Array in Felton Meadow is scheduled for tonight, Wednesday, September 23, at 7:00 PM at Newton Memorial Hall, 30 Conference Drive, Felton.

To be clear from the start: we support projects that generate power from renewable sources, and we welcome community meetings like this one. Holding a public meeting before a project goes to a formal hearing is exactly the kind of outreach that builds trust and leads to better outcomes. The problem is how this meeting was announced.

Notice appears to have gone out only as paper flyers. There was no online announcement, no email notice we’re aware of, and nothing was sent to local press, including the SLV Post. We’re sharing it now, on the day of the meeting, because we received the flyer from a reader yesterday and then attempted to corroborate. Many residents who care about the meadow, whether they favor the project, oppose it, or simply have questions, may not find out in time to attend.

The flyer does not say who is hosting the meeting. It lists Fifth District Supervisor Monica Martinez’s office as a contact, but her staff told us by email that the Supervisor’s office is not organizing the meeting and apparently had little information about it.

This morning, project planner Rebecca Rockom responded to our email, “Pursuant to SCCC 18.10.113(A)(1), for all items going to the Planning Commission, the applicant shall conduct a neighborhood meeting to explain the proposed development to and solicit comments from those in attendance. County staff is invited but not obligated to attend. So, the County is aware of the meeting (and in this case staff will attend), but County staff does not organize, notice or present the proposal to the attendees. The applicant is also required to provide a summary of the meeting (date and location, number of attendees, discussion points, etc.).”

We’ve asked who is organizing the meeting and why notice was so late and limited, and we’ll update this post if we get an answer.

A meeting is only as useful as the number of people who know about it. We hope this one is followed by others that are announced well in advance and through the channels the community actually uses.

What’s Being Proposed

When we first reported on this project in June, Mars Energy Group had applied to Santa Cruz County for permits to build an 835-kilowatt ground-mounted solar system on an 8.88-acre undeveloped parcel owned by Mount Hermon Christian Camps & Conference Center. The site sits on the Felton Meadow near the Felton Fair shopping center. The flyer for tonight’s meeting says the project would include 1,512 solar panels.

The power would be for Mount Hermon’s private use only. It would offset the conference center’s own electricity use. There is no battery storage in the plan, and no power would be sold to the grid. Planning documents put the array’s footprint at about 65,000 square feet.

Why It’s Drawing Attention

The parcel sits within a designated Scenic View Corridor along Conference Drive and East Zayante Road, at the visible edge of Felton’s town center and next to a residential neighborhood. County planning staff have also flagged presumed sensitive habitat on the site, including oak woodland and possible coastal scrub on the northern knoll. Runoff is another issue under review.

These are the kinds of questions that benefit most from broad public input. Because of the site’s Special Use zoning and its scenic setting, the project needs three separate county approvals: a Conditional Use Permit, a Conditional Site Development Permit, and Design Review.

Where the Process Stands

The application (No. 251463) was deemed complete by the County earlier this year. That step opens formal environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which will look at impacts on aesthetics, biological resources, noise, and more. The final decision will be made by the County Zoning Administrator at a public hearing. That hearing had not been scheduled as of our last check.

Tonight’s meeting is not that formal hearing. The community will still have official chances to comment, both during the CEQA comment period and at the Zoning Administrator hearing. But tonight may be the first chance for neighbors to ask questions in person and hear directly about the plans.

If You Can Go

When: Tonight, Wednesday, September 23, 7:00 PM
Where: Newton Memorial Hall, 30 Conference Drive, Felton

If You Can’t Make It

You can still ask questions or submit comments to the County:

• Project Planner Rebecca Rockom: 831-454-3121, Rebecca.Rockom@santacruzcountyca.gov
• County Environmental Planner Kathleen McLaughlin: 831-454-5357
• Supervisor Monica Martinez, Fifth District: 831-454-2200, fifth.district@santacruzcountyca.gov

Reference Project #251463 / APN 071-331-06 when you contact them. You can also ask them to notify you of future meetings and hearings on this project.

Read our original June coverage: Solar Array Proposed for Felton Meadow

Have information about who organized tonight’s meeting, or thoughts on the project? Email us at news@slvpost.com.