Solar Carports to be Installed at Forked River House Plaza

The Forked River House Plaza will be going green after the Planning Board approved an application to install solar carports in the parking lot.

“I did active duty, part of my time, in Southern California,” Nick Mackres of Easy Energy New Jersey LLC said. “Out there, there are a lot of solar carports. I figured I would bring it over here to New Jersey. Nobody wants to be under snow, rain or shine.”

Two solar carports will be installed to the south of the building, totaling 318 solar panels. Additional solar panels will be installed on the roof of the shopping center.

In December, applicant George Mackres was asked to consider relocating the solar carports to the grass between the Forked River House Plaza and the Forked River Animal Hospital. The board believed the move would relieve the site from potential trouble in maneuvering traffic around the structures.

To do so, George Mackres would have to apply for a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act (CAFRA) permit from the Department of Environmental Protection, which could cost up to $20,000 and take six to 12 months, Nick Mackres said.

“Applying for a CAFRA permit is a little bit of a burden,” engineer Jason Marciano said. “It’s quite a process.”

Installing the carports on the grass would also eliminate any future development in the general area, Nick Mackres said.

The largest carport will be placed in the middle of the lot; set back 80 feet from the property line and lined up with the front of the Forked River House Plaza. The second carport will be along the side of the building.

Both carports will be 13 feet, six inches high and neither will take up parking spaces, Marciano said.

Traffic, including trucks, will be able to maneuver around the carport, he said.

The project will be done in three phases with the first putting solar panels on the back portion of the roof, Nick Mackres said. The roof mount will produce $88,000 kWh per year and will cost $350,000.

The solar panels will create renewable energy in a “nuclear town,” shield cars from weather, save money for tenants, make money for the landlord and increase property value, Nick Mackres said. They also intend to use a local steel manufacturer, which will create jobs.

The project will overall generate $4 million kWh over the next 30 years, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 million, Nick Mackres said.

The applicant will also be adding LED lights underneath the carport for additional lighting, Marciano said.

“I think they hit everything the board was concerned with,” Planning Board Conflict Engineer James Stanton said.

“I have seen solar carports. The one I can think of down in Atlantic County, it took me at least half a dozen times going by the place before I figured out that they were solar carports and they weren’t just being nice to their employees, giving them a roof over the cars,” Stanton said. “They’re no more intrusive than a gas station canopy except they don’t have the bright colors so they’re probably less intrusive.”

The Planning Board unanimously approved the application under the following conditions: the largest carport must be shifted back three parking spaces so that it lines up with the building, the minimum height of the carports is 13 feet and six inches, no poles will be in front of the parking spaces, gutters will be installed with runoff into the existing drainage system and lighting will be added.