GARLAND — According to town leaders, a Charlotte based energy company wants to construct a solar farm in the Garland area.
During a recent meeting, Commissioner Ralph Smith briefly discussed an application for a conditional use permit from Birdseye Renewable Energy. The permit will allow the property owner to use land in a way that is not otherwise permitted in a particular zoning district.
According to local officials, the energy company wants to build a solar farm near Hwy. 411 on the outskirts of the town. The process began last year and the company is ready to proceed with more steps after paying the fee for the permit. Although the request is not in the city limits, it’s close enough for Garland’s Planning and Zoning Board to be involved.
“It’s not in the city limits, but it’s in our ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction),” Murphy said about the majority of the area Birdseye Renewable Energy is requesting. ETJs give jurisdictions the legal ability to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries.
Limited details have been provided about the project, but if constructed, it will be another addition to existing solar farms in Sampson County. Some of the others include the Anderson Solar Farm near Garland and a project in the Newton Grove Area, which came with opposition from nearby residents. For the application process in Garland, property owners will have to be notified by the zoning board about the request to construct a solar farm.
Birdseye Renewable Solutions is company focused on creating renewable energy solutions for hosts, clients and investors. The Charlotte based company specializes in developing commercial and utility scale projects using photovoltaic solar arrays, a system made to supply solar power. According to the company’s website, relationships are also formed with veterans of wind and other renewable technologies.
The company was founded in 2009 by Brian Bednar after more than 12 years in the property management, brokerage and development business field. Project Manager Peden Harris joined Birdseye in 2012 and worked in the industry for eight years. Prior to Birdseye, he finished a two-year global rotational management program with Vestas Wind Systems.