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Home My WebLink About01. Bomber Heights- staff memo 1 To: Planning Board Members From: Christine Balestra, Senior Planner Date: August 24, 2026 RE: Proposed Bomber Heights Solar Project – SEQR Determination, Preliminary Site Plan Review Please find attached materials related to the proposed Bomber Heights large-scale ground- mounted community photovoltaic solar energy system project, located on Troy Road in the Low Density Residential Zone/Large-Scale Photovoltaic Solar Energy System Overlay District. The project is scheduled for the September 1, 2026, Planning Board meeting for SEQR determination and consideration of preliminary site plan review. The project involves installing a 5MWac single-axis sun tracking solar energy system on a total footprint of approximately 31+/- acres of the 62+/- acre property, along with two inverter/transformer equipment pads, battery energy storage, new overhead utility (NYSEG) poles, eight-foot-tall fencing, stormwater management facilities, access drive, and other site elements. The project is a Type I Action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (6 NYCRR Part 617). The Planning Board declared their intent to be the lead agency in the environmental review of the project at the sketch plan review meeting on March 3, 2026. The Board provided feedback, comments, and concerns for the applicant team to consider. Here is a link to the sketch plan review materials: https://lfweb.townithacany.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=202529&dbid=0&repo=TownOfIthaca Property characteristics and history: The existing 62+/- acre parcel on Troy Road is currently maintained as a mix of open fields, meadow, brush, and wooded areas scattered around the property. The majority of the property is gently sloping, with two streams located in the southeast and northeast corners, respectively. There are two overhead NYSEG power lines that bisect the property and run towards the existing NYSEG substation on East King Road to the south. The parcel is bound on the north by vacant land and residences near the intersection of Troy and Coddington Roads, on the east by vacant land and residences along Coddington Road, on the south by the utility’s substation and residences along East King Road, and on the west by Troy Road. Large-Scale Overlay Zone, Town Code §270-219.1 Solar energy systems: In 2023, the Town Board, following a recommendation by the Planning Board, adopted amendments to the Town Code to increase the maximum area for a solar facility footprint from 10 acres to 35 acres, to coincide with the typical footprint for a distributed community solar project (5 MW). The adopted amendments also limited large-scale solar energy systems to precise areas via a Large-Scale Solar Overlay Zone. The Overlay District was based on an evaluation of the factors of town-wide concern such as 2 proximity to electric infrastructure, topography, encumbered or preserved parcels, etc. The parcel containing the proposed Bomber Heights solar project is within one of those precise areas on the Large-Scale Solar Overlay Zone Map (copy attached). Application materials: As board members may recall, the sketch plan submission included more material than necessary for a sketch plan review. The applicant has provided additional materials as requested by the board and staff since the sketch plan meeting. The materials comply with the submission requirements outlined in Town Code §270-219.1 (Solar energy systems). The Planning Board Preliminary Site Plan Review packet of materials includes: 1. This staff memo 2. Town of Ithaca Engineering comment letter, SWPPP excerpt & applicant comments 3. Town of Ithaca Code Enforcement comment letter & applicant memo from May 2026 4. Project Overview/Applicant narrative 5. SEQR Lead Agency letter to agencies & agency responses 6. Draft SEQR resolution for the board to consider 7. Draft resolution of approval for the board to consider, with draft conditions of approval 8. SEQR Full EAF Parts 1-3, plus maps, attachments, etc. 9. NYS DEC Wetland Determination letter, dated 06/04/2025 (previously received, along with wetland delineation report- report begins on page 52 of sketch plan link above) 10. USDA Soil Survey sheets 11. US Fish and Wildlife Determinations on Northern Long-Eared Bat and other plant and wildlife species (LaBella cover memo, July 17, 2026, USFWS 07/16/2026 & 05/29/2026) 12. Letter from New York State Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Office, dated May 04, 2026, regarding Historic/Cultural Resources 13. Visual Simulation* Memo, dated June 2026 & Viewshed Analysis with photo log 14. Glint/Glare Study 15. “What is Energy Storage?” Document 16. Bomber Heights Solar PV & Battery Energy Storage System Emergency Response Plan 17. Bomber Heights Solar Panel Specification Sheet 18. Decommissioning Plan, dated January 2025 19. Operations and Maintenance Plan, dated July 2026 20. Civil Drawing Set, dated December 2025, revised 07/10/2026 21. Line of Sight Profile sheets, dated December 2025 22. *Photo Simulations in 11” x 17” size (related to visual sim memo above) Here is a link to the materials listed above: https://lfweb.townithacany.gov/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=222114&dbid=0&repo=TownOfIthaca Please call me at (607) 273-1721 ext. 121 or email me at cbalestra@townithacany.gov if you have any questions. Att.