“This is a work session. This is not a public hearing,” said John Lyons, an attorney hired by the Town of Ancram, at the outset of the Planning Board’s special meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 29. “This is not a presentation by applicants, or the public, or the consultants the town has retained. It is an opportunity for you to talk with each other on the board and plan next steps.”
Joined by associate Kim Garrison, Lyons guided the board through a two-and-a-half-hour discussion of two ongoing projects: a proposed solar array covering less than 10 acres of Highway Superintendent Jim Miller’s 95-acre property off Route 82, and a 100-foot cell tower off Route 22 proposed by Homeland Towers and Verizon Wireless for use by Verizon, emergency services, and other carriers.
Both proposals have been under review throughout 2025 and have drawn significant public debate — some residents citing the need for renewable energy and improved cell service, others objecting to what they see as threats to Ancram’s agrarian vistas and scenic overlay district.
Lyons reminded attendees that the town is still awaiting two consultant reports — a visual-impact assessment from New York City–based planner George Janes, and landscape-screening recommendations from Wagner Hodgson, a Hudson firm. Both firms were hired by the town, with expenses covered by the applicants, and their analyses will address both the solar and cell-tower projects.
Solar Array Discussion
The board reviewed a list of unresolved issues identified earlier this month by town planning consultant Nan Stoltzenberg. Members agreed that some had already been addressed in prior meetings, others await consultant input, and several will be included in a forthcoming request for additional information from co-applicant RIC Energy.
Topics included the potential effect of an access road on future farming activity — deemed negligible, since the road surface will not be impervious — and the feasibility of running electrical wiring underground, which will require further input from RIC Energy and Central Hudson. Members also discussed how electricity credits generated by the solar array might be distributed to local residents, another issue awaiting clarification from those parties.
The Planning Board noted that RIC Energy holds a 35-year lease on the project site and discussed requiring periodic updates to ensure the facility remains functional and up to code throughout its lifespan.
Emergency-vehicle access was also reviewed. In the absence of a formal response from the Ancram Volunteer Fire Department, the board agreed it may seek confirmation from the town engineer or building inspector that emergency vehicles will be able to reach all parts of the site if needed.
Cell Tower Review
The board then turned to the proposed 100-foot cell tower on Route 22, whose height has recently been reduced from the original 150 feet. The tower will require Columbia County approval and is intended to accommodate emergency-communications equipment as well as co-location for other wireless providers — though such use could slightly increase the tower’s width.
Questions were also raised about how the tower would eventually be decommissioned and removed at the end of its service life. Representatives from CityScape, the town’s telecommunications consultant, addressed whether advancing satellite technologies could one day make such towers obsolete, citing Elon Musk’s comments that satellite systems are unlikely to replace traditional cell infrastructure in the foreseeable future.
Board members also weighed various camouflage options for reducing the tower’s visual impact. Ideas included constructing it as a “faux tree” (dismissed by the board), a “faux flagpole” (which would require a wider base), or a “faux silo.” CityScape provided example photographs of silo-style towers and was asked to submit more information on that option.
Vice Chair Erin Robertson led a motion requiring Homeland Towers and Verizon to expand their visual-impact analysisto include views from surrounding private properties — not just from Route 22 and the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, as the applicants had previously provided.
As frustrations surfaced over the subjectivity of evaluating visual impact, Lyons reminded the board that “the way Ancram’s zoning laws are written, judgment has been left up to you.”
The Planning Board will continue its review of the solar array at its next regular meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6, and will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to discuss the cell-tower proposal with the applicants, Stoltzenberg, George Janes, and CityScape in attendance.