Opposition to proposed solar farm in Chicopee

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - The City of Chicopee may be home to significantly-sized solar farm by next summer, but not everyone's happy about it.

Boston-based Citizens Energy wants to erect thousands of solar panels on property owned by the Saint Stanislaus Cemetery off Memorial Drive and sell the power to and Chicopee Electric Light company.

At Thursday night's Chicopee Planning Board meeting, Citizens Energy said they hope to be good neighbors, and are already working with residents living near the proposed solar array.

"We spoke directly with a couple of the abutters earlier in the process and they had some questions, concerns about a road that was a little bit too close to their house.  we were able to move that road to give him more space," said Braden Houston of Citizens Energy.

Linda Disanti lives near proposed solar farm.

"Nobody really knows the health issues. I think it has a lot to do with property value.  it also has a lot to do with being in the wrong zoning," Disanti told 22News.

Houston told 22News the project would take  three or four months to build, and he hoped it would be operational by some time next summer.