Denied: No Solar Panel Farm For Vacherie
By a four to three vote, the St. James Parish Council voted Tuesday, June 18th, to deny St. James Louisiana Solar, LLC to construct a solar panel farm adjacent to a residential area of Vacherie and extending from River Road to south of Hwy. 3127.
Voting against St. James Solar were Councilmen Donald Nash of District 7, Ryan Louque of District 3, Todd Poché of District 1 and Neal Poché of District 4. Voting for the solar panel farm were District 2 Councilman Courtney Long, District 5 Councilman A. J. Jasmin and District 6 Councilwoman Vondra Etienne-Steib.
The solar panel farm vote went to the Council after the St. James Parish Planning Commission voted 8 to 1 to deny the matter.
Prior to the vote, Council Chairman Louque said he does not oppose solar, but he has determined that there is no compelling public benefit to the company locating in Vacherie.
Louque said the location limits growth in the future in an area of future residential growth. He said among many pages of information he had received regarding St. James Solar, the site was deemed the “most economical location”.He said that to him the statement meant that the site was “the cheapest spot to put it”.
The proposed solar panel site was a venture between Entergy and D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI). They have said that the proposed site was chosen because of its proximity to the Vacherie substation located next to DJ’s Restaurant.
Nash has been consistent with his disapproval of the solar panel farm since discussions began two-years ago. He has never wavered in his thinking that the solar farm will take away residential property and will negatively affect the property value of homes in the area. He said no one can tell Parish officials how the Parish is benefitting from the already existing solar panel farm in the same area.
Etienne-Steib said she has never accepted any money from the property owners or solar panel farm developers. She said her decision was based on what she saw, what she read, and her own personal research.
However, in a sack of hefty incentives DESRI offered to the parish, there was over $1 million earmarked for a new west bank multi-purpose building which Etienne-Steib has requested since being elected for her first term five-years ago.
The formal reasons for denial were listed in the resolution as follows: *The facility would be unsightly, and the proposed planting and landscaping will not hide the facility from view.
*The proposed location is not ideal for expanding solar facilities.
*The combination occupying farmland and the proximity to residential property in Vacherie are negative factors.
*The jobs lost are likely to be more than the jobs created, resulting in a negative economic impact. *The project is inconsistent with the land use plan.
Prior to the start of the meeting, the Council held a long and very tedious public hearing on the matter that lasted 2.5 hours.
DESRI loaded the hearing with presentations and letters from people representing various agencies and organizations that have already received donations from them. They also apparently canvassed certain neighborhoods in the Parish and asked those they visited to send emails of support.
The Parish received numerous letters that were read into the record despite having illegible signatures and/or addresses.
Student 1st members from St. James High School took turns publicly thanking DESRI for a donation to their organization by reading written messages on their smart phones.
Denial of the solar panel farm brings to a close a very long and expensive process for the Parish governing body which paid South Central Planning and Development for a study of the impact of such a facility on the local economy and the future growth of the parish, and the production of a solar panel farm ordinance governing proposed solar panel farms.