Plan to Build Solar Farm Off Atherton Ruffles Feathers

A group of Novato residents is opposing a plan to put a small solar facility in Black Point, arguing the panels will ruin their views, decrease property values and degrade the sensitive environment along the San Pablo Bay.

The proposed solar farm would be situated on one acre and located at the Green Point Nursery, at Olive and Atherton avenues. The operation would consist of 2,200 solar panels measuring 6 feet in height and be connected to an existing PG&E substation.

On Tuesdays, the Marin County Board of Supervisors will discuss the project, already approved by the planning commission in June.

The facility is being proposed by REP Solar, based in San Rafael, which says the panels will be fenced off and shielded from view by shrubbery.

But opponents, who include the Marin Audubon Society and the Olive Ridge Home Owners Association, argue the solar facility will still impact the rural feel of the area, surrounded by wetlands and pasture.

They also say the project requires a full California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and is inconsistent with the Baylands Corridor, which establishes strong environmental protections for land bordering the San Pablo Bay.

Others, including Sustainable Novato, a local nonprofit, support the small solar farm, saying it will be an important local source of clean energy that reduces reliance on fossil fuels.

Click here to read more letters of support and opposition for the project.

SOUND OFF: Are you a proponent of this plan? Is it important to have a local source of alternative energy? 

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