Commissioners table solar farm plans for at least a month
Aug. 17—GOSHEN — A decision on whether to allow plans for a large solar energy farm to move forward near Millersburg will hang in the air for about a month or so.
Following approximately three hours of discussion on the issue Monday, the Elkhart County Commissioners decided to table a vote on the proposed project to allow for more consideration and to wait for an agreement to be worked out that would govern the end of the project's run.
"This is too big a decision to not have all their ducks in a row," Commissioner Frank Lucchese said at the end of the meeting.
The proposal's a zoning request for a development plan, in which Kansas City-based Savion would install solar panel arrays within about 850 acres of agricultural land south of Millersburg. The company has an agreement with two sets of property owners to lease land around Ind. 13, C.R. 146, C.R. 148 and C.R. 43.
Savion expects to invest $120 million in the project, with plans to generate up to 150 megawatts of energy through the panels. The sites were selected due to their proximity to transmission lines owned by American Electric Power, with the production set to pool into the electrical grid owned by PJM. The project's development director, Sara Mills, said the energy produced would be used in Elkhart County first.
Savion's plans also include surrounding the solar arrays, which would be mounted on 15-foot-tall posts, with chain link fences and then buffer the sites with trees and shrubs. Grass would also be planted at the sites, along with gravel access roads.
The deal calls for a lease of at least 30 years for the project. At the end of it, if Savion doesn't renew, the property owners would resume control of the land and the equipment would be removed.
The developers also acknowledged Elkhart County doesn't include renewable energy in its comprehensive plan, which made working with the current zoning ordinance a bit tricky.
More than 20 people spoke during the meeting. The majority, about 15 neighbors around the proposed site, opposed the project.
Attorney Jacob Kuchmay of Fort Wayne, said he represented several opponents.
He challenged the legality of the proposal for rezoning to a planned unit development. Kuchmay also argued the plans didn't fit with the county's comprehensive plans for preserving open land and promoting rural character.
"Large commercial solar developments on valuable farm land is not what anyone signed up for, and frankly you can't get there without disregarding the comprehensive plan," Kuchmay said. "I would submit that developing this project on what's presently farmland is not responsible development and growth."
