A plan to build a massive solar farm in Shoreham has residents worried it will cloud their picturesque views and send their property values plummeting.

A private developer has proposed a 60-acre solar farm on a plot of land that is now a vast, open field owned by DeLalio Sod Farms. The California-based development company is seeking to put in enough solar panels to produce 9.5 megawatts of power, or enough to provide power to more than 1,700 homes.

Homeowners near the field say the plan will destroy their property values. Some have also raised concerns about the manner in which the town of Brookhaven has handled the plans so far.

"Shoreham is not a 'NIMBY-esque' community," says Marc Alessi, a LIPA board trustee and former state assemblyman who lives in Shoreham. "But the way they're doing it is the most greedy way to do it, and the secrecy is what's gotten us alarmed."

A public meeting is being held on the issue on Sept. 22. It will be held at the Town of Brookhaven Auditorium in Farmingville.

A Brookhaven spokesman denies the town was "secretive" about informing the community. Planning Chairman Vincent Pascale says he will reserve comment until after Monday's public hearing.