Historically, Rhode Island Has No Clue
By Frank Carini / ecoRI News columnist
The state of Rhode Island can’t stop thousands of trees from
being felled to make room for ground-mounted solar arrays, but the Warwick
Historic District Commission can stop 23 solar panels from being installed on
the roof of a private home.
No solar for you
The Ocean State’s priorities are out of whack. I know that’s
hardly breaking news for anyone who has spent any time here.
When it comes to clear-cutting private land for solar, I
have constantly been told that it is difficult to tell private property owners
what they can and can’t do. I agree there needs to be a delicate balance
between private property rights and the public good.
Yet, that only seems to apply disproportionately to a
certain kind of project: against an individual requesting to have work done by
someone who doesn’t know a guy.
We pussyfoot around illegal actions taken by those with
power and/or wealth. Despite what the speaker of the House says, campaign
donations buy favor.
A waterfront scrapyard on
Allens Avenue in Providence has been flaunting its contempt for the state’s
environmental regulations since it began operating in 2009. A West Greenwich quarry on
New London Turnpike that abuts the Big River Management Area has been operating
without a Rhode Island pollutant discharge elimination system permit for nearly
two decades. Last year a North Kingstown country club illegally
built a 550-foot-long seawall and the Coastal Resources Management Council is
considering changing the rules to allow it to remain.
Smith Hill watches as municipalities, especially in rural
towns with part-time planners and overworked volunteer boards, get bulldozed by
developers looking to turn as much open space as possible into utility-scale
solar.
The recent ruling in Warwick spotlighted this ongoing
absurdity.
The Historic District Commission cited the city’s guidelines
regarding solar installation for historic homes to deny the request by a 4-1
vote. Under current guidelines, solar panels on historic buildings are
effectively banned so long as they are visible from a street, sidewalk, or
other public right of way within the district.
“Roof locations for mechanical and electrical equipment including wind generators and solar panels are generally not appropriate unless they are visually unnoticeable at ground level or can be screened from view,” according to the city’s design guidelines.
The Bayside Avenue home in Pawtuxet Village was built in
1906. Plenty has changed in the past 118 years, as a commenter on an ecoRI
News story noted:
“Would the builders of a custom home in 1906
turn away from state of the art technology when building such a home? Has the
home had no upgrades since it was built? Where does he get his coal for his
furnace and ice for his icebox.”
“Employing technology that slows the rate at
which humanity chokes to death on its own waste seems like a good idea. If he
puts solar on his roof, we should thank him.”
“Why does the historic commission allow cars in
these neighborhoods? In 1906, they likely had a horse and carriage. Paved roads
devoid of manure doesn’t preserve the historic character of the neighborhood.
Same with electric wires on poles in the street.”
According to the commission’s webpage, “Historic District
Designation stabilizes and improve property values, fosters civic beauty and
strengthens the local economy. A property owner’s investment in a historic
neighborhood will not be undermined by new development that does not respect
the character of the neighborhood.”
The neighborhood is likely to be undermined by the impacts
of our relentless burning of fossil fuels, but the historical misrepresentation
of rooftop solar panels is the bigger concern — in a district crisscrossed with
power lines, with paved streets, utility poles, and street signs, lawns cut
with gasoline-powered mowers, and a Cove that is home to powerboats.
Solar carports aren’t common because … blah, blah, blah.
Solar in already-developed areas is too expensive, plus more money is made
cutting down trees to plant panels. Residential rooftop solar ruins the
character of historic districts.
We hand out tax breaks and incentives to keep cranes in the
sky but not trees.
Rhode Island’s reality is shaped by a funhouse mirror.
Frank Carini can be reached at frank@ecori.org. His
opinions don’t reflect those of ecoRI News.
