Battery storage land in the Town of Avon, New York

Start with the parcel, not the mailing address

This guide concerns the Town of Avon in Livingston County, New York. Town and Village information appear on separate official sites. Identify the parcel’s actual reviewing authority before using an Avon address to choose a permit route. The Town office lists 585-226-2425.

The posted battery article provides a Tier 2 site-plan and special-use route in specified districts, with a separate Planned Development District provision. It excludes prime farmland and farmland of statewide importance within an Agricultural District. Ask the reviewing office to confirm the district and classification for your tract.

Bring the location and a simple description of the area you could offer. You do not need to commission an engineering plan just to explain your interest. Include existing buildings, tenants, farm use and any land you are unwilling to include.

Ask whether an existing approval affects the proposed use. If the site already serves a business, review what that business needs to retain: parking, loading, customer access, utilities or room for expansion. The battery layout should fit those obligations before anyone treats the remaining area as available.

Reference: Town of Avon: office, code and municipal resources · Town of Avon: Article XVI battery storage provisions

Ask what a smaller connection would change

In its February 12, 2026 minutes, the Town reported that utility capacity limits had reduced a proposal from three 5-megawatt facilities to two, with revised plans expected. This is a dated Town report about that proposal, not a utility offer for another property.

If a company approaches you, ask which electrical configuration its land offer assumes. Has it investigated charging as well as sending power out? Request an explanation of the current study or agreement, the unresolved work and who pays for that work. A nearby line alone does not answer those questions.

Discuss the consequences of a smaller project before signing. Would the company reserve less land, reduce rent, change a purchase price or seek more time? If the offer depends on a minimum project size, have that condition explained alongside the company’s right to cancel.

Compare the equipment area with the full rights area. Fewer battery units may still require a road, cable route and work space. Ask which rights remain necessary and whether unused land can be released. Put the agreed boundaries on a drawing you can understand.

Keep track of revisions. If the company changes the proposed connection or layout, ask for a new dated drawing and an explanation of changes to your terms. Do not assume a smaller equipment footprint automatically changes the land agreement.

Reference: Town of Avon: February 12, 2026 minutes, utility scope discussion

Separate the application from permission to build

The County’s June 11, 2026 agenda listed two 5 MW AC battery systems at 2926 Lakeville Road for site-plan and special-permit referral review. The Town’s June 15 minutes record a hearing left open. Its September 21 agenda still lists the Carson Power applications as continued business. These records do not establish final permission to build.

Ask for the actual written decisions and current application status. Identify what has been approved, what remains under review and which conditions must be satisfied before construction. An agenda entry and an applicant’s presentation belong in the history of a proposal; they are not substitutes for a decision.

Keep public review milestones separate from your private payment schedule. Does a fee become due when the company files, when a decision is issued, when construction starts or when operation begins? Use a trigger that both parties can identify and document.

Discuss extension rights carefully. How long can the company keep the property reserved while it pursues approvals? Which extensions require payment, and is there a final end date? Ask who must provide notice and what happens if the deadline passes without a decision.

The records above describe one proposal. They do not establish that another Avon parcel has capacity or qualifies for the same route. Your location, use and connection need their own review.

Reference: Livingston County: June 11, 2026 battery referral agenda · Town of Avon: June 15, 2026 Planning and ZBA minutes · Town of Avon: posted Planning and ZBA agenda

Understand which payment belongs to you

The September 10, 2026 Town Board minutes describe continuing financial and agreement-language negotiations concerning a PILOT and Community Benefit Agreement for the battery proposal. They do not record a completed deal in that discussion.

When reviewing your own offer, distinguish payments to you from payments negotiated with a public body. Ask the company to identify your option fee, rent or purchase proceeds, and any reimbursements. A headline project benefit does not tell you what your land agreement pays.

If the project’s public arrangements affect its economics, ask whether that could change the private offer. Can the company revise payments, pause development or terminate? Have those provisions explained before deciding how much time you are willing to give it.

Compare the payment schedule with your own costs and plans. Who handles property taxes, insurance, maintenance and expenses caused by the project? If you retain part of the tract, clarify how costs are allocated rather than assuming the company covers every bill for the whole property.

Request a simple written schedule showing amounts, due dates and conditions. Keep it with the agreement and amendments so you can check a payment without reconstructing several conversations.

Reference: Town of Avon: September 10, 2026 Town Board minutes

Read the removal agreement before committing the land

The posted code requires a recorded removal agreement with the initial landowner and Town, applicant-funded security, and owner responsibility if the applicant fails to perform. It also ties ownership changes to written assumption and notice. Have your adviser review the public and private documents together.

Ask for the proposed removal agreement and funding document while you still have time to negotiate your land terms. Identify the responsible company, what work it must complete, who can draw on the security and how an unpaid or abandoned project would be handled.

Walk through the finished condition you expect: batteries and foundations removed, cables addressed, drainage repaired and the ground restored. If you want a road or other improvement to remain, discuss that expressly with your advisers and the reviewing office.

Ask how the funding stays current over the life of the project. Who supplies evidence of renewal and cost updates? Who tells you about a lapse? A promise to maintain security is easier to follow when the documents say how you receive proof.

Keep the recorded agreement with your property records. If you later sell or refinance, give it to the advisers handling that transaction. Ask what responsibilities pass to the buyer and what must be completed before any project operator changes.

Do not rely only on the first company’s name. Establish how you will identify the party responsible for rent, repairs, insurance, urgent calls and removal after an assignment or sale.

Reference: Town of Avon: Article XVI battery storage provisions

Tell us what you could consider on your Avon property

Use the inquiry form to start with your name, email and phone. New York and Livingston County are selected here and can be corrected. Add the property location; acreage and a parcel number are optional for the first conversation.

Tell us whether leasing, selling or offering only part of the tract interests you. Mention existing business or farm use, tenants, access needs and any energy agreement already signed. Include the areas and uses you want to preserve.

If you already have an offer, describe its stage and the questions you want answered. You can tell us that you have a drawing or agreement without preparing a new application. We can start by understanding the property and the rights you could make available.

An inquiry does not commit you to a transaction or approve a project. Further review must confirm the applicable rules, usable area and electrical path. The purpose of the first conversation is to decide whether there is a reason to examine your property more closely.