Key points
- Environment ranked #2 in the priorities ranking.
- Includes water and air quality, energy efficiency, natural resources.
- Large-scale solar development was flagged as a concern.
- Waterfront preservation cited as environmental and economic priority.
What this section is
Environment ranked second-highest in the community survey priorities — behind Community Facilities and ahead of Transportation.
What's included
- Water quality (Lake Ontario, Lake Alice, Oak Orchard River)
- Air quality
- Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas considerations
- Trees and natural resources
- Waterfront environmental protection
Solar development
Comments in the survey flagged large-scale solar development as a concern — particularly around how it interacts with agricultural land, viewsheds, and rural character. The plan will need to articulate how utility-scale solar fits (or doesn't) in Carlton.
Related sections
- Lake & Shore — waterfront specifics
- Farmland & Agriculture — solar-vs-farmland trade-offs
- Land Use & Zoning — how the FLUM handles conservation lands
What we heard at Workshop #1 (Sept 23, 2026)
- Cormorants — participants are very concerned that cormorants are running the waterways, eating baitfish, and causing water quality issues.
- Water testing — test the Oak Orchard River and other waterways regularly.
- Large-scale development — concerns about data centers, STAMP, wind and solar, and other large projects that could destroy productive farmland or hurt water quality.
- A suggested survey question: "Do you favor or oppose the use of Carlton land for renewable energy and/or data centers?"
- Pollution and high-water impacts were named as threats.
Source: G/FLRPC notes from the September 23, 2026 public workshop (~40 participants). See the full workshop recap.
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