CHESAPEAKE, Va — In one year, a solar farm will call Chesapeake home. However, the thought of it is already creating mixed reactions among residents.
Scott Weatherly is the owner of 'Glenn Weatherly Farms' on Long Ridge Road in Chesapeake.
Like many other businesses, Weatherly says farming has fallen on hard times because of the economy, as well as the cost of production, equipment and animals.
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"Trying to pay these taxes for the city of Chesapeake is kind of tough and trying to farm is really tough it's either feast or famine there isn't nothing in between," explained Weatherly.
Recently, Weatherly was asked by a company known as "ESA Solar Energy" to use some of his 134 acres of land for a solar farm.
While it's good news for Weatherly, some people living nearby don't feel the same way.
"I had one lady tell me her property values were going to go down I tried to explain to her that if the city taxes don't go down her property value wouldn't go down," said Weatherly.
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On Tuesday, News 3 Reporter Danielle Saitta visited some people living nearby in the green haven neighborhood.
Janet and Brian Lomax told her that they empathize with how people living near the solar farm feel. Three years ago a solar farm was almost put behind their home. They explained why they were against it.
"I've not heard of a solar farm that has come into a neighborhood that increases the value of the neighborhood so that is a concern for us," explained Janet Lomax.
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Others like Blaizen Blom argued that a solar farm is better than other developments that could make this area it's new home.
"It's better for the city and it's better for our farmers that they can keep their land and maybe in 20-30 years that land can go back to being farmed as opposed to when you build on top of it with infrastructure creating un-affordable housing without any access to our city's resources that eliminates that farmland from being used in the future," explained Blom.
For Weatherly, sharing his land is less about the money and more about being able to pass down his business.
"I'm pushing 60 this year and I'm looking for some security and something I can hand down to my daughter down the road," said Weatherly.
