Local Law

Yorktown bans large-scale ground-mounted solar in residential zones

Jacob Road project is grandfathered under the new law

The solar site between Routes 6 and 6N in Jefferson Valley

Photo: Sophia Caselnova

Posted Thursday, March 26, 2026 8:50 am

Jacob Road

The Yorktown Planning Board did not vote on anything on Monday night for the project to install large-scale, ground-mounted solar panels on Jacob Road.

The board will not be making any decisions about the project until the fire commissioner meets with the applicant internally about the distance the solar panels will be from the property line.

After the distance is discussed internally, the outcome of that conversation will go to the planning board to be discussed and aired publicly and will be subject to further review and approval, said Yorktown Planning Board Member Aaron Bock.

Residents spoke against the project March 23, saying that the project will be an eyesore to the community and could cause toxic chemicals to seep into the ground nearby.

“Put solar somewhere else, not in the woods behind our homes,” said Brian Mahoney.

Mahoney said he spoke to his neighbors on Southgate Drive, Nathalie Court, Mountainview Road, Jacob Road, Glassbury Court, the Meadowstreet area and Jordan Drive who mostly feel the same way about the project.

—Lindsey Kelleher

By Miranda Ferrante

Editor

The sun is setting on large-scale solar in Yorktown after the Town Board approved a law barring such installations in residential neighborhoods.

Adopted in a 3-2 vote March 17 following years of review and public input, the measure also revises setback requirements, establishes height limits for canopy and other ground-mounted systems, updates decommissioning bonding and includes a grandfathering provision for the pending Jacob Road project, which Town Attorney Adam Rodriguez and Supervisor Ed Lachterman said would provide a Community Solar benefit.

However, a proposed solar site on Dell Avenue, originally considered as a second potential grandfathered project, was removed from the grandfathering provision after the applicant’s representative told Esposito before the meeting that the applicant was no longer interested in moving forward.

Lachterman, along with Councilmen Patrick Murphy and Sergio Esposito, voted in favor of the law, while Councilman Ilan Gilbert and Councilwoman Susan Siegel voted against it. Though Gilbert and Siegel said solar in residential districts should be restricted, both opposed a total ban. Gilbert said the Jacob Road project should have been approved on its merits.

“In a way I found the vote for the ban and the grandfathering to be somewhat inconsistent because by grandfathering, the majority is saying that it was a project that they could live with. To me that shows that a total ban is not the right solution,” Gilbert told Yorktown News. “There will be instances where a solar project makes sense because it’s the right project in the right location.”

Unlike Gilbert, Siegel said Jacob Road isn’t a good site and opposed grandfathering.

She noted that the two 2024 moratoriums — both approved by Lachterman and Esposito — applied to the Jacob Road project.

“Why was it unacceptable then but OK now?” she asked.

She said the site was not appropriate and that better locations exist — sites that would not require clearing a large number of trees or would not be visible from nearby homes or roads. She cited Arcadia Farm on Baptist Church Road as an example.

By contrast, Jacob Road “cannot be adequately screened,” Siegel said.

“The new law weakens the screening requirements from the prior law—and it cuts down lots of trees.”

Cortlandt Manor resident Brian Mahoney criticized the vote, saying the Jacob Road solar farm would be visible from his family’s home on Southgate Drive.

“Why is Jacob OK?” he questioned.

Since 2020, Siegel has been recommended creating a floating zone to evaluate large-scale projects on a case-by-case basis with clear site plan standards.

Gilbert told Yorktown News he “agreed in part” with Siegel’s position.

“Like her, I don’t believe a total ban is warranted. The town should be encouraging solar energy in all appropriate forms while remaining mindful of both environmental and neighborhood concerns,” he said. “Finding the right balance between sustainability and community character is essential.”

After visiting with Esposito, Gilbert believes visibility at the Jacob Road site won’t be a major problem.

Gilbert said during the March 17 meeting that after visiting the Jacob Road site with Esposito, he believed visibility was of limited concern.

“It's a perfect example of why I think the law is defective in doing a full ban — because you're grandfathering for a reason,” he said at the meeting. “It's the right project in the right location.”

In a Feb. 3 letter entered into the record, the Planning Board argued against the law and said the measure would greatly restrict the space available to support such installations.

“Large-scale solar installations must not be banned from residential zones, as very few parcels capable of hosting ground-mounted large-scale solar installations would remain,” the letter said.

Lachterman said residents have made their views clear.

“I do think that our town people have spoken—that they do not really want these in their neighborhoods, especially in high visibility and I think that's an important aspect as well,” he said.