LANSING, NY (CortacaToday) – Plans for an alternative energy project in Lansing are moving forward.

The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) has sold 213 acres of the former Bell Station property to AES through an agreement for solar development. That acreage, on the easternmost part of the property, will also be used for agriculture. The remaining portion of the land, about 74 forested acres, will continue as a wildlife management preserve as one of the conditions of the sale.

According to FLLT, the sale of the land is subject to the following conditions and commitments:

  • the property’s intended use is for solar energy production and agricultural co-utilization
  • the forested area on the existing property will be retained for its value in sustaining wildlife and maintaining water quality
  • a wildlife corridor will be maintained along a protected stream running through the property
  • existing wetlands will not be disturbed, and a buffer will be maintained around them
  • all buffer plantings will be native species
  • a portion of the property will be dedicated to research with an expected focus on agrivoltaics

The Finger Lakes Land Trust acquired the Bell Station property in 2021 after the state compelled the former owner, NYSEG, to pull it back from public auction. Money from the sale will go to FLLT’s Opportunity and Stewardship Funds.