MEMBERS PRESENT: William Barker, Chair Chris Chesner John Logue Thomas J. Merchel, Board Secretary Peter Miller Robert Musgnug STAFF PRESENT: Peter Thorndike, Board Attorney Michelle Taylor, Planning Board Planner Christopher Noll, Engineer Mackenzi Kelly, Recording Secretary ABSENT: Chris Locatell, Douglas Joyce, Jeffrey Tait, Julie LaVan and Michael Locatel Mr. Barker called the meeting to order at 7:46PM in the Council Chambers of Town Hall, 111 West Second Street by reading the Open Public Meeting Act statement. The Pledge of Allegiance followed a moment of silence. Roll call was listed as above. Resolution: PB-2013-08B; Bruce Paparone Development Inc. A motion to approve application PB-2013-08B; Bruce Paparone Development Inc. was made by Chris Chesner seconded by Thomas Merchel. The roll call vote of eligible Board members was unanimous in favor, with Chris Locatell, Douglas Joyce, Jeffrey Tait, Julie LaVan and Michael Locatel being absent. PB-2013-08C; Bruce Paparone Development Inc. A motion to approve application PB-2013-08C; Bruce Paparone Development Inc. was made by Chris Chesner seconded by John Logue The roll call vote of eligible Board members was unanimous in favor with Chris Locatell, Douglas Joyce, Jeffrey Tait, Julie LaVan and Michael Locatel being absent. Peter Thorndike stated there were residents who voiced their opinion to the Planning board at the meeting and also have reached out to Paparone and reached a compromise. This compromise does not affect what the board has voted. Minutes: A motion to approve the March 2, 2017 minutes was made by Chris Chesner seconded by Robert Musgnug The roll call vote of eligible Board members was unanimous in favor with Chris Locatell, Douglas Joyce, Jeffrey Tait, Julie LaVan and Michael Locatel being absent. 1
Docket #PB-2017-12; Lockheed Martin Corp. Block 6700/Lot 10; 199 Borton Landing Rd. Application for a Preliminary and Final Site Plan with Variances and Waivers, and Conditional Use, for the installation of a ground mounted solar panel field with accessory equipment structures and fencing to be located on approximately 9 acres of a 126 acre site located in the SRI Zone. Chris Chesner recused himself. Witnesses sworn in: Jeff Haag Manager of Facilities Engineering Mark Malinowski Engineer, he is qualified in NJ Jim Creeg Senior Electrical Engineer Professionals sworn in: Michelle Taylor, Planner Amy Bridges Cieslewicz, CLA, Landscape Architect Christopher Noll, Engineer Testimony: Attorney Linda Guella from Parker McKay Law represented the applicant. She explained Lockheed Martin is seeking Preliminary and Final Site Plan with Variances and Waivers and conditional use approval for a 2.5 megawatt direct current solar panel field on an 8.6 acre portion of a 126 acre parcel located at block 6700 lot 10 and in the special industrial (SRI) zone. MLUL provides solar panel fields are a permitted condition use in industrial districts if they are in a site greater than 20 acres. Lockheed Martin is also seeking two variances: 180-70b requires 50 feet of landscaping buffers on street lines. 180-70C requires 75 feet landscaping buffers with berms along residential boundaries. Mr. Haag works for Lockheed Martin as a Facilities Engineering Manager. He has 31 years of experience and has been in Moorestown for 19 years. He has appeared in front of the Board many times. Brief background of Lockheed Martin, the property consists of 25 buildings on a main campus located on block 6700 lot 10. This site was purchased in 1953 by Radio Corporation of America (RCA). It is used for Radar research and development. In 1986 GE purchased the property from RCA, then in 1993 GE sold to the property to Martin Marietta and in 1995 they merged with Lockheed. Lockheed Martin has 2500 employees. The combat site with the ship is also on the Lockheed Martin property. Mr. Thorndike inquiried about the area around the site of the solar panels. Mr. Haag confirmed that to the east across Centerton Rd is Mt. Laurel which consists of retail development, to the South across Marne Highway is commercial and office developments and the Virtua Facility, and to the West is a residential development. 2
Exhibit A1 This exhibit shows an aerial view of the solar panel plant. This will consist of 120-125 acres and across the street 200 acres of undeveloped land. Lockheed Martin is seeking to construct 2.5 megawatt solar field on 125 acres on the Lockheed Martin property. It will consist of 7,272 actual solar panels and 37 inverters. The power that would be generated will tie into Lockheed Martin s building 143 and at no time will the power generated be off grid. Per Mr. Haag, a solar field will reduce the carbon footprint and will also provide cheaper power. Lockheed Martin has two similar sized solar fields in Florida. The solar panels will be operating 7 days a week during the day for the life of the solar panels, which is about 25 years. The maximum height of the solar field panels are 7.5 feet. There will be no equipment building. Mr. Haag has reviewed professional reports and is familiar with zoning ordinance 180-69d regarding conditional uses. The use of the proposal will meet the conditions 1 through nine. He confirms the use of this proposal does not fall in the category of prohibited uses within that section of the code. Mark Malinowski is employed by Stout and Caldwell Engineers and Surveyors, has a Bachelor of Arts in Civil Engineering and is licensed in New Jersey. He has testified here before and the board has accepted him as an expert civil engineer. Exhibit A1 Mr. Malinowski explains this is a color aerial of the entire Lockheed Martin campus. This shows Block 6700 lot 10 and is the site of the solar panel field. A total of 8.6 acres will be dedicated to the solar panels. The panels will be 7 foot high surrounded by a chain link fence. They will consist of 7,272 panels arranged in 46 rows from 40-600 feet and separated by a minimum of 9ft clearance between the fence and the panels. There will be a 600 square foot concrete slab (22.6 x 15.9 feet) which will house the switchgear and equipment. An entry gate will be on the south side in the middle of the field. There will be another access gate on the southern end of the property. There will be two types of foundations, which were created by Pftster Energy. Both are made of gray galvanized steel. The first is Racking system and the second type of foundation is a Balise system (A5), making up 5% of the foundation systems. A discussion followed explaining the foundation types. Exhibit A-3 demonstrates two Foundations types. Exhibit A2 This exhibit demonstrates a Landscaping plan. The site for the solar panels is an actual soybean field. Lockheed Martin will use a grass seed mix to help with storm water runoff. 3
The grass will be underneath the panels. There is minor grading and there are two squalls. The drainage will not be disturbed and the grading will not be changed at all. The landscaping there now has evergreen and pine trees on the east side, the North West side is a wooded area. Lockheed Martin is proposing landscape of deciduous and evergreen trees at the intersection of Centerton Road. Per the Environment Advisory Committee, Hemlock and Ash trees are not acceptable. Furthermore 10 trees will be removed from the North West corner of the solar field. These ten trees are in the way of the actual plan of the solar panel field. The trees will be replaced in the landscape buffer plan. Lockheed Martin will work out a plan that is acceptable with the Township s Landscape Architect. The nearest residential property line is on the west side of Borton Landing Road and is over 800 feet away. With respect to storm water and drainage, the grade of the property is south to North West. They are stabilizing the area with grasses. There is no proposed lighting for this project. There are proposed conditions, in the letter dated April 26 2017. The applicant agrees yes for the most part except for number 5, pertaining to deed restrictions. Mr. Thorndike confirmed it should only be a condition not a restriction. Chris Noll addressed the issue of storm water quality. Mr. Malinowski stated the facility is not recognized as a pollution generating facility. Less than a quarter acre of impervious coverage. They do not need any kind of storm water reserves. There are wetlands on the site in the NW corner. The LOI is being updated from NJDEP, to make sure they agree with delineation and that the buffers are the same. Mr. Logue inquired as there being acidic soils on site, Mr. Malinowski does not see it as any implication it s a galvanized system. There will be very minimal disturbance to the land. Mr Thorndike stated they have sent in their application for a new LOI, which can take up to 6 months to come back. Jim Creeg is employed by Pfister energy and helped to develop the foundation system. He stated the panels will be mounted on a galvanized structure. They will consist of a helix coil screw then the balise. The solar panel will be attached with stainless steel. There is no environmental issue and acidity of the soil. The standard is a galvanized structure. Jim Creeg stated maintenance of the solar field would include a twice a year visual inspection of wires to make sure the structures look good. It is estimated that there will be two teams of two to provide maintenance. They will drive there and parking is available. Per Mr. Creeg, the panels provide no danger to wildlife. The Solar inverters are grounded and the 37 inverters are scattered. The wires are underground and enclosed in PVC. No panels will be changed and are designed to with stand 115 mph winds. No further questions. 4
Discussion Mr. Thorndike went over the list of waivers stated on page 2 of Chris Noll s letter dated 4/26/2017. Mrs. Amy Cieslewicz stated they have answered everything and is happy with the conditions and the buffering of another 75 feet. They will work together on ground cover and decide what type of seed is the best for the site. The applicant is working with Taylor Design as stated in the 4/19/17 letter on a landscape design. PUBLIC QUESTIONS: Barbara Rich 37 E Central inquired about soil testing. Jim Creeg stated there will be no actual test done on the grounds. The varying capacity of the soil is what determines the length of post and will be based on the seasonal tide water. Storm water management believes there would be a need to remove a foot of soil to put new top soil on the grounds. Mr. Creeg stated if they encounter acidic soil they will Lyme the area. Conditions: Mr. Thorndike stated if the solar panels are not in use for 6 months they need to be removed. The applicant also must provide a copy of the LOI along with a copy of all other communication with the township which cover conditions included within the professional letters. Also the applicant will work with our Landscape Architect to develop a buffer along Westfield Rd. A motion to approve this application was made by John Logue seconded by Thomas Merchel. The roll call vote of eligible Board members was unanimous in favor, with Chris Locatell, Douglas Joyce, Jeffrey Tait, Julie LaVan and Michael Locatel. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Barker stated the next meeting would be June 1, 2017. A motion to adjourn was made by John Logue and seconded by Chris Chesner. The meeting was adjourned at 9:11 PM. APPROVED 10/05/2017 5