A proposed solar farm has passed another approval round with the Pulaski County Board of Zoning Appeals. Board members approved a special exception request for the Mammoth Solar project Monday. It adds almost 4,700 acres to the project’s footprint.
But Nick Cohen with project developer Global Energy Generation said it wouldn’t add any solar panels or increase the overall power output from what was approved last year. “We will not go into forests or wetlands and other environmental features, so we need extra space,” Cohen explained. “We’re also putting a lot of attention along the lines of our promises towards aesthetics, and so that means we need a little more land so that we can push the panels back into the fields a little farther.”
Reaction was about evenly split during a two-and-a-half hour public hearing.
Pulaski County EMS Director Brandon DeLorenzo was confident a comprehensive public safety plan would be in place, noting that the developers reached out in October and answered any questions. But that same level of communication didn’t extend to all of the county’s volunteer fire departments, according to Donald Tiede. “I’ve heard you guys talked to a few fire departments, but on Star City’s side, we’ve never heard nothing from you,” he said. “We’re mutual aid. We’re going to be a big part of that, but I know Francesville, they said you guys didn’t really talk to them.”
County Council Member Brian Young was concerned about the county’s two-person building department’s ability to enforce all of the regulations. “You can drive in here and you can see zoning violations to the end of the day,” Young said. “Doug, you don’t have time to go out there and enforce 9,000 acres of zoning regulations, I don’t presume. The county doesn’t have the money to hire a full-time staff to do that.”
An attorney representing multiple opponents to the project argued that the developers failed to meet the criteria for a special exception, didn’t file the application correctly, and that solar farms themselves were not compatible with Pulaski County’s comprehensive plan. A number of those who spoke commented on the potential consequences of taking farmland out of production, not just on farmers themselves but also on the industries that support them.
But BZA President Derrick Stalbaum felt that it was up to property owners to determine the most desirable use of their land, and that while there are some real concerns, there are also real benefits. “I do have the fear, on the very real side, of what it’s going to do to our small farmers who can’t compete,” Stalbaum said. “I mean, this is going to drive cash rent. This is going to give some farmers the ability to pay a lot more for ground than other people. I do see that as a problem, but I see multiple, multiple positives to go along with that, too.”
Monday’s approval from the BZA lets the developers proceed with the process of seeking building permits from the county’s building department.
