Parlier council approves six‑month study for 60‑acre community solar site on wastewater land

Parlier’s City Council voted 3–0 on June 3 to authorize a site‑access agreement that lets developers study a proposed 60‑acre community solar array on land tied to the city’s wastewater treatment expansion plan.

The agreement, approved as Resolution 2026‑70, allows the Balakian family and their team to conduct preliminary engineering, soils testing and title/permit due diligence over a six‑month discovery period. Council Member Janie Molina moved the resolution and Council Member Catherine Solorio seconded; Mayor Alma Beltran and the two council members present voted in favor while Mayor Pro Tem Sabrina Rodriguez and Council Member Diego Garza were absent.

“We’re asking the council to approve this agreement to allow the Balakian family, the developers here, to continue discovery,” Jessica, the SitelogIQ representative who presented the site plan, told the council. She and developer Dennis Balakian emphasized the work is a feasibility study and that no construction is authorized under the access agreement.

Why it matters: The 60 acres shown in the city’s 2022 wastewater treatment plant expansion plan contain a grid of buried effluent piping used to discharge treated wastewater to percolate into the ground. Presenters said arrays could be designed with clearances so the pipes remain serviceable, and a successful project could offset the wastewater plant’s electricity use and lower rates for residents and businesses. Balakian estimated the city currently pays between about $60,000 and $200,000 a year related to an existing 5‑acre solar field penalty and said a larger project could improve the city’s grant competitiveness and local power costs.

What presenters told the council: Jessica and Dennis described the proposed design as illustrative and said exact array footings and clearances would be engineered during the study. They said program rates and benefits are set by the utility and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and vary by program; some community solar contracts are locked for multi‑year terms (presenters cited ranges of roughly five to 20 years for some programs). Those program terms — and any grandfathering — will affect how much long‑term savings the city could pass to residents.

Questions from council and the public focused on whether the city would bear costs, the legal status of the land (it has a Selma postal address but presenters and staff said it is city property and part of the wastewater expansion), and whether prior agreements or a buffer with the neighboring city of Selma or LAFCO involvement could constrain use. “Are you aware that there's a buffer on that property between Selma and Parlier?” asked Aurora Martinez, a nearby landowner, who asked that title and annexation history be checked.

City attorney and staff clarification: The city attorney and staff repeatedly emphasized that the license grants only access for study. “This is really just a license agreement for them to go onto the site. We don't get involved in what they need to do from a permitting standpoint,” the city attorney said. Presenters said the discovery process will include pulling title reports and identifying any easements, annexation history, or LAFCO/county permitting steps that may be required.

Public comment and examples: Residents voiced both support and caution. Lionel Lopez, a Parlier resident, urged the council to move the feasibility resolution forward, saying it could help low‑income households. Presenters referenced a completed Kingsburg project as an example of placing solar in a ponding basin to directly offset a nearby well site's energy use, but they noted that program benefits and rates change over time.

Next steps and limits: If the study finds the site feasible, the developers will return to the council with quantified program terms, estimated customer savings and any permitting or interagency steps required. If the study shows the project is infeasible, no further work will proceed. The council vote authorizes site access only; construction, permitting and tax‑credit compliance would be developer responsibilities and require separate approvals.

The meeting record: The resolution passed 3–0 (Mayor Alma Beltran, Council Members Janie Molina and Catherine Solorio voting in favor; Sabrina Rodriguez and Diego Garza absent). The council closed public comment and adjourned the special meeting.