Parma Town Board approves new zoning laws for large-scale solar projects

PARMA, N.Y. — The Parma Town Board has approved new zoning laws on the size and scale of large solar array projects. In a statement on Facebook, Parma Town Supervisor Dave Ciufo said the laws aim to protect farmland as large-scale solar development becomes more common in New York State. Earlier this year, News10NBC covered concerns from farmers in Genesee County over large-scale solar developments taking up too much agricultural land. With the increase in solar installations in our state, it became increasingly clear that changes needed to be made to the current code to protect Parma, Ciufo said. Under the zoning changes, no part of a solar array can exceed 35 feet in height, and large-scale arrays must be at least 200 feet away from each bordering property line. In addition, large-scale arrays must be at least 350 feet away from any bordering residential land. The changes also prohibit a single solar project from taking up multiple parcels of land, unless those parcels a