CONCORD — New Hampton officials said Tuesday more tax revenue from the Northern Pass project would not change their opposition to the high-voltage transmission line.
“The character of our community is not for sale,” said New Hampton selectman Neil Irvine, in testimony before the Site Evaluation Committee. “Regardless of the dollar amount of the benefit, the visual scar to our community is not worth it.”
The negative impact to property values with views would offset additional revenue from the project, he maintains.
New Hampton has properties that are assessed a view factor (view tax) in determining their property assessment, Irvine said.
“If their viewshed is affected, I anticipate they will want to have the view factor removed from their assessment,” he said. “A certain amount of taxable value could be reduced.”
Irvine estimated the reduction would be from 10 to 50 percent depending on the site.
The expert hired by project developer Eversource found there would be little to no impact on property values, with the greatest impact on properties bisected by the utility right-of-way and diminishing the greater the distance from the transmission line.
Irvine and other town officials said the project violates the town’s master plan and could not be approved under local ordinances and rules.
“This is a very different animal than the transmission lines there now,” said Planning Board chairman Kenneth Kettenring, noting site plan ordinances cover changes of use which Northern Pass would be.
And, he said, the ordinances require transmission lines be buried if possible. “We don’t want something high blocking our views.”
Irvine said a master plan reflects the social and economic values of a community. He said while the master plan does not specifically mention high-voltage transmission lines, that is not an endorsement of that type of development.
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