An effort by Andover residents seeking a rewrite of the solar moratorium ordinance has gained momentum in recent weeks.

About 45 people attended a public hearing Sept. 16, and 16 came to a second public hearing Sept. 23, which lasted nearly two hours.

Select Board member Justin Thacker, who attended both meetings, said residents at the Sept. 16 meeting complained that the solar farms are an “eyesore” and clash with the natural beauty of Andover and its surrounding mountains. He said there are two solar farms in operation, with two more “in the pipeline.”

At the annual town meeting in June, voters approved a 180-day moratorium on utility-scale solar projects. The pause came by way of a citizen petition submitted to the Planning Board, requesting a temporary halt so the town can revisit the issue and set boundaries for solar farms.

Responding to a comment that commercial solar is inevitable and so people might as well join in, Hilly Bills, of Andover, said during the Sept. 23 meeting that to join in with the trend on principle could be extremely shortsighted.  

“As a community, we have a chance to maintain the beauty and values that set us apart,” Bills said. “When other agricultural, scenic towns have replaced their traditional surroundings with solar panels, the desirable location will become the one that has preserved their wild and agrarian landscapes, and the way of life that is fostered by them.”

She later added that the major reason she and her husband no longer live full time in Andover is because their forest view was cleared and a free-standing solar panel was erected across from their property.

Bills and the 16 residents in attendance discussed rewriting the ordinance to specify the size of solar farms — potentially removing large and medium-scale projects altogether. Other suggestions included increasing setbacks and requiring screening to block the view of the solar panels. About 14 people have signed up to serve on the committee.

Following the initial 180-day moratorium, the board has the authority to extend it for another 180 days, which would carry it through to the next annual town meeting in June 2026.

At the same June town meeting where voters approved the moratorium to preserve scenic views and rural character, they also rejected a property maintenance ordinance aimed at regulating so-called “junkyards.” The proposed measure would have allowed faster enforcement on properties cluttered with automobile graveyards, tires, household debris, scrap metal, wood, discarded plastic, refuse, household trash, human waste and abandoned or deteriorating structures.