Battery storage land in Cortlandville, New York

Start with the replacement law

Local Law 5-2026 was adopted June 17; the filed document marks June 29 as its effective date. It repeals and replaces Chapter 64. Use that adopted document when discussing an offer.

Ask the team to identify the total capacity, equipment arrangement and intended use. If its explanation relies on an agricultural or industrial district route, request the current provision supporting that claim. The older chapter is not sufficient.

Confirm that the property is in the Town of Cortlandville. A Cortland mailing address alone does not settle the jurisdiction. Share the parcel location and any existing approvals rather than relying on the name printed on an envelope.

Reference: Town of Cortlandville: adopted Local Law 5-2026 replacing Chapter 64 · Town of Cortlandville: adopted legislation listing

A small accessory battery is a different proposal

The replacement retains accessory Tier 1 provisions, with different review requirements at 80 kWh. Those provisions should not be presented as permission for a new Tier 2 land project.

If you are considering backup power for an existing building, explain that purpose to the town and installer. If a developer wants to reserve land for a grid project, ask it to explain that proposal in its own terms.

Do not assume that dividing equipment into several containers changes the classification. Request the town’s answer using the complete layout and total system information before treating any capacity label as a solution.

Reference: Town of Cortlandville: adopted Local Law 5-2026 replacing Chapter 64

Existing approvals need their own records

The law addresses existing Tier 2 systems as nonconforming and separately addresses variance cases. These provisions do not establish an ordinary route for a new Tier 2 project.

If someone says an earlier approval covers your land, request the issued approval, conditions, expiration information and the drawing it covers. What has actually been approved, and what work is now proposed?

Ask the town how it treats that specific proposal. Replacing equipment, increasing output and changing the reserved area may raise different questions. If a variance is claimed, ask for its actual status and scope; do not treat a planned application as an issued permission.

Reference: Town of Cortlandville: adopted Local Law 5-2026 replacing Chapter 64

Understand the owner’s potential costs

The replacement addresses property-owner responsibility, removal and restoration costs, and potential liens. Ask your adviser to read those provisions with any proposed private agreement.

Who will pay if the operator does not complete its obligations? Which company makes that promise, what backs it, and how would you enforce it? A statement that the town requires security does not answer every question about your own exposure.

Request the relevant funding documents and ask how you will know they remain valid. Keep public security, payments to the town and payments to you separate in the discussion. Each has a different purpose and may involve different rights.

Reference: Town of Cortlandville: adopted Local Law 5-2026 replacing Chapter 64

Keep the land’s condition on record

For the existing-system and variance cases addressed by the law, application and restoration provisions include baseline site information. That can matter when the parties later disagree about what changed.

Keep dated photographs and a description of fields, drainage, roads and retained uses before any authorized work begins. Ask who will document soil and water conditions and how you can obtain the resulting reports.

Discuss the condition expected after removal. Would the entrance stay, how would disturbed ground be restored, and what evidence would confirm completion? Tie those questions to the actual plan rather than an assurance that the site will be cleaned up.

Reference: Town of Cortlandville: adopted Local Law 5-2026 replacing Chapter 64

Do not leave an old agreement unresolved

If you already signed an option or lease, gather its amendments, notices and deadlines. Ask your adviser how the current restriction affects the agreement and what decisions you need to make next.

Clarify whether land remains reserved, when any extension ends and what payments are due under the signed terms. A change in local rules does not by itself explain the private contract or establish that it has ended.

If a company proposes transferring an existing project, request the new operator’s identity, current contacts and evidence that obligations and security will continue. Compare the public transfer requirements with the promises in your agreement.

Reference: Town of Cortlandville: adopted Local Law 5-2026 replacing Chapter 64

Tell us whether there is already an agreement

Start with your name, email and phone, then the location. Cortland County and New York are editable starting entries. Acreage and parcel details are optional.

Mention Cortlandville and explain whether you have an offer, a signed agreement or an existing approval. Describe the decision you need help understanding and any area you want to keep using.

Sunland can begin with that information. This inquiry does not reserve land or establish a development route. The current Tier 2 prohibition remains the starting point for discussing a new large-system proposal.