The quarry operations removed 80,000 cubic yards of rock, some of which was crushed and spread over about half the site in a thick compacted layer. Top soil is nonexistent. The destruction of the land is obvious.
Above:BEFORE & AFTER
A speaker at the last meeting said that solar power was environmentally friendly. This is a complete fallacy. Site preparation will require clear cutting the land and stripping away all vegetation. All stumps must be removed (hence the stump grinders). Solar projects require smooth ground so the entire site must be graded flat as a pool table.
Detailed Photo Galleries of the Lippitt Ave Project
Vegetated Buffers/visit gallery
The RI Department of Environmental Management requires that buffers be maintained along wetlands and waterways. The northeast corner of the project has such a buffer that ranges from 25 feet to about 100 feet.
Cranston's Site Plan Review Committee refused to require a vegetated buffer along the hay field and woodlot. The failure to do so has had a devastating impact on the public's conservation land.
These photos show the stark differences between the two areas.
Lippitt Ave. is known for the amount of ledge in the area. The developers told the Cranston Planning Commission that there was "some ledge" on the property.
They conducted blasting operations seven times between December 7th and January 18th. They blasted so much ledge that they operated their own quarry removing 80,ooo cubic yards of rock.
None of this was communicated to the Planning Commission, another failure to properly vet the development. The Commission minutes for the project do not mention blasting.
The final load of gravel left the site the week of March 5th.
The Traffic
Construction Plan Reports submitted by utility scale solar developers in Ontario, Canada estimate that a 10 MW system will produce more than 700 construction vehicle trips to the site.
Cranston officials dismissed these estimates with one official telling me that I would never notice the traffic.
The daily traffic starts around 6 am or earlier in a residential neighborhood six days a week. These photos document just a few of the deliveries and they are still doing site preparation over three months into the project.
A one hour traffic count taken January 26 revealed 27 separate trips on residential roads. Many of the trucks are too big to make the corner so they use the lawn and catch basin as part of the road.
Clear Cutting and grubbing..
These videos show the impact of clear cutting and grubbing on land adjacent to the Knight Farm conservation land. The three videos taken from the western boundary were shot from the same location.
The southwest corner of the hayfield
These photos show the hayfield before and after clear cutting
These photos taken from the Knight's Farm hayfield show the conservation land's boundary before and after the clear cutting for the solar project.
Complete Flicker Photo Gallery of Lippitt Ave Project
Photos & Video: solar site at Lippitt Ave project
Before and After Solar Development
on an old dairy farm,
Golden Meadows Farm
