Solar Field Proposal To Come Before Freehold Township Planners

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ — A proposal by Willow Brook Solar to install 9,720 solar panels on a 9.4 acre parcel on 56 Willow Brook Road is on the Thursday night agenda for the township Planning Board. The board meets at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building.

The parcel is on a 35.4 acre farm, owned by Polhemus & Gibson Farm of Freehold, that has an existing farmhouse, silo and other farm structures that will remain at the site, according to the board agenda.

The 3.74 megawatt project is considered a dual-use solar project because the site will continue to operate as a farm while also operating as a solar facility, documents on the agenda say.

The property is on the south side of Willow Brook Road. It is bounded to the north by the Route 33 bypass; the Debois Creek is to the east. Single-family residential neighborhoods are located to the west and south, documents say.

There will be improvements to the site, including two concrete equipment pads, six utility poles and one permeable grass paver driveway and a six-foot tall black vinyl-coated fence, with minor storm water infrastructure.

The site will include new plantings to screen it from neighboring parcels. The panels are proposed to have a maximum height of 5 feet, 9 inches when fully rotated, the documents say.

The project comes under the New Jersey Dual Use Solar Act of 2021 that calls for solar projects to be located on unpreserved farmland that will maintain an agricultural use, the documents say.

The project would tie into the JCP&L electrical grid and function as a a community solar development, providing renewable energy for customers who cannot install private solar panels on their property. The project would supply local customers with clean energy and utility bill savings while continuing the support of local food supply through its farm operations, documents in the application say.

Some residents in the area say they oppose the project, according to statements made to app.com. They say it could affect the natural habitat of the area and may cause noise or glare issues issues and affect home values.