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30% property value loss

Narrative dossier · Property Value Claims · 41 instances captured this month

8
All narratives

“Homes within two miles of a solar farm lose 30% of their value the day it is approved.”

Property Value ClaimsFalseFirst seen April 18, 2022·Originated with Citizens for Responsible Energy

The single most-repeated claim in NYS hearings. A laminated one-pager with this figure has been entered into the record in 23 towns, always without a citation.

41instances this month+4%

Instances this month

41

+4% month over month

Counties affected

8

Top: Saratoga County (9 items)

Repeaters identified

5

3 organizations · 2 individuals

Cited rebuttal sources

3

Rebuttal published to counter-measures

Factual Rebuttal(3 cited sources)The verified response used by the counter-measures team, with the primary sources it rests on.The verified response used by the counter-measures team, with the primary sources it rests on.

Verified response

No peer-reviewed study of New York sales data finds a 30% effect. The largest US analysis to date — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's review of 1.8 million home sales near 3,700 solar arrays — finds a 1.5% average effect within one half-mile of utility-scale solar and no measurable effect beyond one mile. The 30% figure traces to a single non-peer-reviewed blog post that mislabeled a hypothetical worst-case appraisal scenario as an observed average.

Cited sources

  1. 1Property value impacts near utility-scale solarLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory·20231.5% average decline within 0.5 mi; statistically indistinguishable from zero beyond 1 mi across 1.8M sales.
  2. 2Assessment review of solar-adjacent parcels, Genesee & Ontario countiesNYS Office of Real Property Tax Services·2024No systematic reduction in equalized assessments for parcels adjacent to 12 operating arrays.
  3. 3Paired-sales analysis, Steuben & Yates countiesCornell Cooperative Extension / Dyson School·2023Median sale prices of adjacent parcels tracked the county index within 2 percentage points post-construction.

Propagation Timeline(6 events)How the claim entered the New York record and moved between channels, hearings, and local legislation.How the claim entered the New York record and moved between channels, hearings, and local legislation.

  1. Apr 18, 2022OriginClaim first entered into a NYS recordCitizens for Responsible Energy submits a one-page handout to the Town of Wilton planning board with the 30% figure and no citation.
  2. Sep 7, 2022MediaReprinted in an Empire Center commentaryA cost-of-siting op-ed repeats the number as “widely reported,” giving it a citable-looking home.
  3. Feb 14, 2023AmplificationTemplate handout replicated in 11 countiesIdentical PDF metadata found in filings from Saratoga, Steuben, Chautauqua, Tioga, and 7 more counties.
  4. Nov 2, 2023HearingRead into the Wilton Solar Project hearing recordNine of 31 public comments cite the 30% figure; two speakers attribute it to “a Cornell study.”
  5. Mar 21, 2024LegislationCited to justify a 1,500 ft setbackTown of Berkshire draft local law references “documented 30% devaluation” in its findings section.
  6. May 9, 2024RebuttalCounty assessor rebuts on the recordSaratoga County assessor testifies that no solar-adjacent parcel has been re-assessed downward since 2019.

Who Repeated It(5)Organizations and individuals recorded repeating this claim in hearings, filings, or monitored channels.Organizations and individuals recorded repeating this claim in hearings, filings, or monitored channels.

Actor inventory
  • Citizens for Responsible EnergyFront group · originator23repeats
  • Empire Center for Public PolicyFront group · laundering venue6repeats
  • NYers for Local ControlLocal group · petition drive9repeats
  • Dale FerraroMercenary · itinerant intervenor14repeats
  • Marjorie KellenAggrieved Neighbor · Wilton7repeats

Deployed Against(3 projects)Projects where this claim appeared in the hearing record or in monitored local channels.Projects where this claim appeared in the hearing record or in monitored local channels.

All projects
Wilton Solar ProjectSaratoga CountyOpen
Silver Creek SolarChautauqua CountyOpen
Berkshire Storage ProjectTioga CountyOpen

Captured excerpt

“My realtor told me straight out — the day that array is approved my place is worth thirty percent less. That's not opinion, that's documented.”

Saratoga County Residents Against Industrial Solar·May 29, 2024

Spread by County(8)Captured items for this narrative by county. Hover the map for county detail.Captured items for this narrative by county. Hover the map for county detail.

  • Saratoga9
  • Orange7
  • Steuben6
  • Chautauqua5
  • Tioga4

Counter-Messaging Kit(3 audiences)Ready-to-deploy responses tailored per audience, with the local messenger best positioned to deliver each one.Ready-to-deploy responses tailored per audience, with the local messenger best positioned to deliver each one.

Full playbook

Talking point · Town board

Ask for the citation before you write it into findings

The 30% figure has never been attributed to a study in any NYS filing. The largest available dataset — 1.8 million sales reviewed by Berkeley Lab — finds 1.5% within a half-mile and nothing past a mile. Adopting findings built on an uncited number is the fastest route to an Article 78 challenge.

Best messengerMunicipal attorney or county planning director