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Canandaigua Agrivoltaics

Hopewell, Ontario County · Bluestem Renewables · Docket 24-00156

8
All projects
SolarDecisionApproved w/ ConditionsLocal <25MW

15 MW on 96 acres designed around continuous sheep grazing from day one. Approved with conditions in December 2024 after the county Farm Bureau and Cornell Extension both testified in support.

Developer

Bluestem Renewables

Location

Hopewell, Ontario County

Capacity

15 MW

Docket

24-00156

Next milestone

Jun 30, 2025

27Low

Risk score

Opposition intensity 41/100 across 4 tracked actors and 6 filed documents.

Open response plan →

Permitting Timeline(6 milestones)Every recorded procedural event on this docket, with the actor responsible and whether the outcome helped or hurt the project.Every recorded procedural event on this docket, with the actor responsible and whether the outcome helped or hurt the project.

1 adverse event
  1. Nov 28, 2023Site plan filed with a grazing plan attachedProcedural

    Bluestem Renewables

    Elevated racking at 8 ft, 96 acres, grazing contract signed before the application went in.

  2. Mar 14, 2024Cornell Extension testifies on agrivoltaic yieldFavourable

    Cornell Cooperative Extension

    Presented three-year lamb weight and forage data from a comparable Genesee County installation.

  3. Jun 20, 2024Property value objections filedAdverse

    Hopewell Neighbors United

    14 letters, most within half a mile; the group did not appear at later sessions.

  4. Sep 5, 2024Conditions negotiated with the Planning BoardFavourable

    Hopewell Planning Board

    Pollinator seed mix, 250 ft road frontage setback, and an annual grazing compliance report.

  5. Dec 17, 2024Site plan approved with conditions 6–1Favourable

    Hopewell Planning Board

    First conditioned approval in Ontario County to require ongoing agricultural use.

  6. Jun 30, 2025Year-one grazing report dueUpcoming

    Bluestem Renewables

    Head count, forage yield, and soil organic matter versus the 2023 baseline.

Full docket historyFiled Nov 28, 2023 · decided Dec 17, 2024

Opposition at this Project(15 appearances)Organizations and individuals recorded in hearing minutes, filings, and monitored channels for this docket.Organizations and individuals recorded in hearing minutes, filings, and monitored channels for this docket.

  • HNHopewell Neighbors United5 appearancesAggrieved NeighborProperty Value ClaimsVisual / AestheticFourteen households; disengaged after the setback condition was added.
  • CFCitizens for Responsible Energy3 appearancesAstroturf OperatorEnvironmental ImpactProperty Value ClaimsTwo mailers; the agrivoltaic framing left the farmland argument with nowhere to go.
  • NFNYers for Local Control3 appearancesTrade AssociationOther / UnknownHome-rule petition gathered 61 signatures and was not submitted.
  • LFLouis Ferrara4 appearancesAggrieved NeighborVisual / AestheticAdjacent landowner; withdrew objection after the frontage setback increase.
All actorsFunding network

Arguments Deployed(48 statements)Every recorded public statement on this docket, classified into the platform's argument taxonomy.Every recorded public statement on this docket, classified into the platform's argument taxonomy.

48Statements

Dominant framing

Property Value Claims accounts for 35% of statements on this docket — hover a category for the counter-framing note.

Trace these narratives

Documents & Filings(6)Source documents ingested for this project: ORES and local board filings, adopted local laws, hearing minutes, studies, and press coverage.Source documents ingested for this project: ORES and local board filings, adopted local laws, hearing minutes, studies, and press coverage.

Open in knowledgebase

Recommended Counter-Measures(3)Interventions ranked by expected impact on this specific decision point, drawn from the counter-measures playbook.Interventions ranked by expected impact on this specific decision point, drawn from the counter-measures playbook.

Pillar 3
  • 1Turn the conditions into a reusable templatePollinator mix plus a grazing compliance report is a condition set other boards will accept.Low effortHigh impactImmediate
  • 2Publish year-one grazing data publiclyReal numbers from an operating NY site defuse the farmland argument faster than any study.Medium effortHigh impactJuly 2025
  • 3Send the graziers to Yates and Steuben hearingsA working shepherd is the single most effective messenger recorded in the pilot counties.Low effortHigh impactOngoing
Open full playbook