FALMOUTH A proposal is before the Planning Board to convert an almost 100-year old golf course in Hatchville into a solar farm.
In a letter read into the record at the Planning Board s Feb. 23 meeting, David Friel, owner of Cape Cod Country Club on Theatre Drive, cited less business over the last decade has led him to pursue alternate uses for the property.
“The expansion of golf courses on the Cape over the past decade or two and the reduction in the number of golfers nationwide has forced me, from a financial viability standpoint, to consider other land use options for the Cape Cod Country Club,” he said.
New leaders named for youth ministry, vocations in archdiocese
Father Stephen DeLacy (top) is the new vicar for the archdiocesan Office for Faith Formation for Youth and Young Adults, and Father David Friel is the new director of the Vocation Office for the Diocesan Priesthood. Both appointments by Archbishop Nelson Pérez, announced March 5, are effective in June 2021.
CatholicPhilly.com staff report • Posted March 5, 2021
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez has appointed Father Stephen DeLacy as head of the newly formed archdiocesan Office for Faith Formation for Youth and Young Adults, and Father David Friel to succeed him as director of the Vocation Office for the Diocesan Priesthood.
Rev Stephen DeLacy appointed Vicar of Faith Formation for youth by archdiocese montgomerynews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from montgomerynews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
To create a large-scale, 30 megawatt solar farm on a golf course in Hatchville, 20 acres of trees would need to be cut and setbacks to abutting properties reduced. Those conditions are cause of much of the opposition to the project. Opponents are saying it is the right idea but in the wrong location.
âWe support renewable energy, especially a large-scale commercial such as this,â Noreen Stockman, Falmouth Zoning Administrator wrote on behalf of the zoning board. âThe town has many appropriate places for ground-mounted solar, like municipal landfills.â
The few advocates pointed to the benefits, including that the developer purchasing the entire property will donate it to the town after the life span of the arrays, which is about 40 years. Then the land would be conserved in perpetuity. The arrays would be decommissioned and a bond would be set up ahead of time to ensure they are taken down.
Owner David Friel is working with Amp Energy, a global renewable energy developer on leasing the land.
Zoning changes are needed before the proposed project can go forward. Town Meeting will vote on those changes at April Town Meeting. If the articles pass, it could result in one of the largest solar arrays on Cape Cod and the largest in Falmouth.
The proposed zoning changes are up for public discussion at a scheduled planning board hearing on Tuesday, February 23.
Evan Turner, a consultant for Amp Energy, estimates the ground-mounted arrays would be built in 2023, after receiving town permits and approval from the Cape Cod Commission. Until then, it would remain open for golf, he said.