Millersville Borough creates green energy district allowing potential solar project

When: Millersville Borough Council meeting, March 11.

What happened: Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance establishing the green energy overlay district. Accordingly, council approved a resolution to amend the borough’s comprehensive plan reflecting the ordinance change. The votes occurred after a brief public hearing before the regular business meeting.

Why it matters: The green energy district allows Student Lodging Inc. to devote three acres on Cottage Avenue to solar energy.

Background: In January, council approved advertising the amendment to the zoning ordinance as petitioned by Student Lodging, off-campus housing affiliated with Millersville University. Council first considered the zoning proposal on Nov. 12. Representatives at the time said the solar panels will have little to no effect on neighboring properties and gave assurances that Student Lodging was not proposing a “megawatt solar farm.”

County issues denial letter: During the March 11 meeting, attorney Isaac Wakefield, representative of Student Lodging, said that while the plan was previously recommended not only by borough officials but also by county planning staff, he received news one day earlier that the Lancaster County Planning Commission declined to take the recommendation.

More: Wakefield said the information was sent to him in the form of a video and he had not yet received a denial letter from the planning commission, which is a “recommending body only.” The focus of the denial was exclusively based on the hope the property would be devoted to residential.

Quotable: “We have made effort upon effort to make residential happen on that property,” Wakefield said. “It’s simply not something that’s going to work.”

Council reaction: President Joseph Lane and fellow council members concurred that everyone on the borough level recommends the ordinance change. There were no comments from the public.

New labor attorney: Borough Manager Rebecca DeSantis-Randall recommended hiring the law firm Barley Snyder to serve as labor counsel, as she learned the appointed attorney from Stevens & Lee had retired at the end of 2024 without any notice. DeSantis said police contract negotiations are scheduled to take place this summer. Council voted 6-1 to approve an execution of engagement with Barley Snyder. Linda Bellile dissented, noting recent issues with an attorney at the firm.

Up next: Council tabled a discussion about the subdivision and land development ordinance, along with street and sidewalk ordinance revisions, as DeSantis-Randall said she is still waiting for information from the engineer. She hopes to have that information by the next council meeting on March 25.