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by Abigail Crosby
All permanent ground solar should require local town permitting complete with Notice and Public Comment, with certified letters including Notice and Public Comment opportunity to abutters.
December 18, 2025 the final of 40 Large Solar Panels were erected in the form of permanent ground solar on our neighbor’s property (see attached photo). This is close to and facing our property such that our kitchen and living room views are now shattered and our property seriously devalued as a result. Our most-used kitchen sink window view is gone…destroyed.
The Vermont Public Utility Commission (PUC) claims this case is a 17.6 kw project so falls within Vermont legislation allowing “expedited registration” up to 25 kw. Specifically the PUC Clerk wrote “This project was deemed a certificate of public good (“CPG”) in net-metering registration case #25-2041-NMR”. This means they do not have to notify the town, the abutters, or anyone immediately affected. There is no posting of permits at the project site, before, during or after construction, hence, there is no way to know what is being constructed until too late.
In our case, our traditional antique farmhouse, with attached barns and out buildings, are at the edge of our 110+ acres, but near the line shared with this neighbor. Our previously beautiful pastoral view with a barn and distant log home, and western Hogback ridge beautifully beyond, is destroyed. This problem property is to our north. The log home to their north was built in recent decades and great care and treasure was put into the looks and location of that log home so as to keep this view spectacular in line with the area of a traditional rural Vermont.
So now we have a monstrosity in our face…forever. It was conveniently located such that it is not seen from the property owner’s house or driveway, but has destroyed our kitchen sink window view. Had there been Notice and Public Comment, we would have objected, with attorneys if necessary. We would have pushed the roof solar option. We may have considered pushing the grotesque structure to the far rear of their property, which would still abutt our property and be in close proximity, but would have been out of sight of our home windows.
It is worth noting that the problem property is owned by a New York resident, a NYC employee, who primarily rents this property through AirBNB. Our property is our permanent residence that has been in our family since the early 1950’s. We have put so much into keeping our attached barns and outbuildings upright and reasonably healthy. A feat which in not easy, or cheap, but is keeping a special place with tremendous Vermont history and architecture intact and alive. This solar monstrosity is destructive to our property and neighborhood, and is frankly sickening and depressing.
The Vermont Legislature, with help from the Governor, has effectively allowed a Canadian company to devalue our property without any Notice and opportunity to fight with Public Comment. The Vermont Legislature empowered the Vermont PUC to empower Green Mountain Power (owned by a Canadian company) to harm the property value of Vermont permanent residents. How is allowing a Canadian company to destroy the property of Vermont residents “public good”?
All and every permanent ground solar approval in Vermont must go back to local town government with proper permitting processes complete with Notice and Public Comment. Applicable should be any and all sizes of ground solar. Every description must include dimensional size and panel numbers…not only kw. We have to wonder if the Governor knew a 17.6 kw structure would mean 40 large panels when he signed the legislation?
The Vermont Legislature has gone overboard to save natural Vermont property and sites, but has contradicted itself in allowing these horrible and unnatural projects. Anyone with acreage may consider in future keeping every acre for protection from irresponsible and harmful legislation favoring harming traditional Vermont properties.
There are many questions still out there. Has the property owner given a right-of-way? How much did this cost? Who paid for it, and how was it paid? Who will pay for repairs and maintenance over the years? When technology changes, rare earth minerals required become scarce, or the damage to birds and other wildlife or livestock becomes increasingly evident, who will pay to remove the structure or remnants? Who will make sure it is removed and not just left to rot? How will we be compensated for the damage to our property value? How will the Town be reimbursed for the negative impact on our property valuation…hence property tax reduction?
Additionally, who are these installer companies? Who assigns them a project? How are they licensed? Do they provide kickbacks to the property owner, PUC, legislators, State leaders or employees, Green Mountain Power and its Canadian parent? The System Installer in this case (25-2041-NMR) is a Cherisse Wildflower with a Waterbury, Vermont address. I have not been able to reach her at the phone number (802-338-5146) the PUC has posted for her. To date there has been no answer, nor any voicemail. The case information does not say what company she is with, and since no permit was ever posted, we don’t know. Rural Vermont residents, please beware. What a disaster.
Author is a Jacksonville (Whitingham) resident.
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Categories: Commentary, Energy
This is just wrong! I live a few miles from this property and am not directly affected by it, but I am in total agreement with Abi’s position on this matter. The Crosby property is worthy of being selected for a spot on a Vermont Life calendar–beautiful old farmhouse and barns, meticulously maintained and lovingly cared for and now this eyesore visible from their kitchen and living room windows! I am sick for them, as I share their love of rural Vermont and beautiful woodland views from my own windows. Each morning, as I have my morning coffee, just gazing outside, I am truly thankful for the rustic, rural, natural scenery and to know that the Crosby’s have had that beauty and peace taken from them without thought or care or consideration on the part of their neighbor and our legislators that allowed this is devastating. We need to take back Vermont!
I’ve been dealing with the same problem but with sewage disposal for nearly 45 years. I’ve been told that my choices are sue or sell. No one listens either at the state or local levels and no one cares about safety or property values. Good luck and I’m pulling for you.
A public nuisance . But they will tell you that you can’t erect a political sign on your property larger than 1 ft x 2 ft to voice your opinion about it.
The developer is SunCommon.
I wonder if there’s some kind of trespassing law that could be put into effect here? It’s trespassing on your view, on your peace of mind, on your long history of owning your property without this thing in your face, etc. Or some kind of “good neighbor” policy? Some kind of petition – to the owners, or the PUC, or your local State Rep? It just seems like it’s some kind of assault on your well-being that you should be protected from.
Wishing you all the best. Thank you for posting your story so that others can beware of this kind of outrageous behavior.
I wonder if there’s some kind of trespassing law that could be put into effect here? It’s trespassing on your view, on your peace of mind, on your long history of owning your property without this thing in your face, etc. Or some kind of “good neighbor” policy? Some kind of petition – to the owners, or the PUC, or your local State Rep? It just seems like it’s some kind of assault on your well-being that you should be protected from.
Wishing you all the best. Thank you for posting your story so that others can beware of this kind of outrageous behavior.
One major problem I don’t see addressed—-taxes. Of recent property value was by the state increased 10% increasing taxes. Property taxes increased in 2025 believe by 10%. Proposed in 2026 another property tax increase of 12%. In the past 10 years or so, property taxes have increased 40%.
To balance property value / taxation local and state government should reduce property values and reduce property taxes. The state wants energy efficiency at the property owner’s expense. But wait, doesn’t this prove “owners” don’t own, but pays rent to the taxation monopolies. Any property improvements / salvage is government property. Don’t or can’t pay the rents, you lose any rights of anything you did. I stopped improving government land at my expense and labor that they get for free if you pay for a permit allowing. Facts are facts and it’s hard to realize. Look at the whirligigs on mountain tops, ah those beautiful green mountains a tourist delight.
I feel for these people herein noted and myself. Sorry.
So, let me get this straight. We want Vt to be progressive in it’s use of essential resources but NOT use (more) water, wind or nuclear sources for our electric needs. Got it.
You do realize this is right along with the heating fuels argument, right? If there’s only one choice (which is impractical and frankly unsafe) then that resource gets over used and toxically capitalized upon, just in case you’re not paying attention or independently wealthy. If “everyone’s” using one resource it is a burden to that source as well. This sounds very strongly like the same attitude from the southern US that hanging laundry out to dry on a line “looks poor”.
We all need what we can afford, stop trying to govern your neighbors every action. That is a very suburbia way of thinking that doesn’t belong in VT. I get it you love the view, go climb a mountain and maybe find a place to meditate for a while. Check out other views and get out of the house for a while.
I am strongly for keep VT green and flourishing, don’t get me wrong. Just as many of those systems come back down as go up. I’m not fond of em either but until we get utopia on the topic (which may be reuse of old nuclear fuel tech) we gotta live with it. We will eventually find a better way but until then the best option is WANT LESS. Think about it.
Here’s the answer.
If you put up a sign that said,’ welcome to the Donald Trump Solar Array. Brought to you by the DHS, DOJ and ICE then……
Dear Neighbor,
You truly do have a beautiful property and view. That said, the placement of your kitchen window faces an adjacent property where a barn is visible. As with any neighboring view, a variety of things could reasonably be there—a tractor, a camper, or even a storage container, all of which are common sights in our neighborhood.
This raises the question of why solar panels are being singled out. Many homeowners make different, visible choices about how they use their property, and these choices are generally accepted as part of living in a community with privately owned land.
If the solar installation followed all applicable rules and was paid for by the homeowners themselves, it seems consistent with the freedoms we already recognize: families choose their utility providers, how they heat their homes, what vehicles they drive, and what equipment they use on their property.
In that same spirit, it seems reasonable to extend those principles to choices about electrical energy and efficiency as well.