New Castle Moratorium on Certain Solar Installations

CHAPPAQUA, NY — The New Castle Town Board recently passed a moratorium to prevent any new building permits from being issued for ground-mounted solar energy collectors in any district and for roof-mounted solar energy collectors and/or equipment in any business or industrial zoning district.

The moratorium will last until the board adds rules for solar to the town zoning code.

"The reason we did this is because our Town Code doesn’t presently address these types of solar installations in a meaningful way," said Supervisor Rob Greenstein in a recent report to residents. "The goal is to address the subject through reasonable zoning requirements before we receive complaints."

Greenstein said the moratorium will allow the Town Board to adopt new zoning legislation before any new projects are built.

"The industry/products are evolving very quickly and we need to keep pace with the changes. The Town strongly supports solar equipment as a sustainable energy source and wants to ensure that we are encouraging and facilitating its use," he said. "That means having clear rules and a straightforward application process. We expect that three months will be enough time for the Town Board to complete its work."