Houses are considered historic but not trees

Historically, Rhode Island Has No Clue

By Frank Carini / ecoRI News columnist

No solar for you

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.

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.