Detroit City Council approved the second phase of the city’s solar farms project a week after Mayor Mike Duggan announced the neighborhoods.
DTE Energy and Lightstar Renewables will convert land in the Houston-Whitter/Hayes and Greenfield Park neighborhoods into solar fields in an effort to generate enough energy to offset electrical use by the city’s 127 municipal buildings. Greenfield Park will contain 42 acres of solar fields while Houston-Whittier/Hayes will hold about 19 acres.
Councilmember Angela Whitfield-Calloway, who has opposed the project since its early stages, was the lone no vote Tuesday. Council President Mary Sheffield and Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero opposed the first phase of the project but did not object to the second phase.
One resident claimed he was lowballed for his property and sought $15,000 more, according to Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett, who then told council members that the city made a good faith offer and contacted the property owner throughout the process.
Community members during the public comment portion of Tuesdays meeting were mixed about the project.
Some residents suggested rooftop solar panels at their homes instead, or felt that it was a short-term response. Others said it was a “step in the right direction” toward clean energy in the city and used additional time to remind council members of other pressing issues in Detroit, such as affordable housing.
Homeowners outside the boundaries of the fields will receive energy-efficient upgrades. All 11 homeowners in the footprint of second phase of the project agreed to relocate, according to Trisha Stein, chief strategy officer. Stein also told council members that 156 homes from the first phase of the project, which is in the Gratiot-Findlay, Van Dyke-Lynch and State Fair neighborhoods, will receive the upgrades, which are expected to be completed by the end of the year. The city conducted 27 assessments to date, with a commitment to do 20 a month, she added.
“That’s taking a 360-degree view of the home, taking a look at their energy use and scoping out a project of how that ($15,000) to $25,000 will be spent,” Stein said, adding they expect to complete the 156 by the end of the year.
The second phase will provide home upgrades to at least 70 homeowners in Houston-Whittier/Hayes and 36 in Greenfield Park. The administration is also working with urban farmers to identify areas to grow crops along the solar fields.
The city needs 965 parcels, including 245 primary residences, Mallett told council members. Officials are in the process of acquiring and relocating residents, and made 100 offers. But the city is currently facing two lawsuits, saying the condemnation process is illegitimate. However, Mallett said the process has been a “remarkably successful endeavor.”
Stein said officials and residents can expect to see the land clear with fencing and panels being installed beginning in the spring and summer.
Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council approves solar neighborhoods project