Plan commission considers solar regulation

Mile Wolanin | The Republic The Bartholomew County Plan Commission meets to consider zoning ordinance amendments about commercial solar energy systems in the Cal Brand Meeting Room at Columbus City Hall on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.

The Bartholomew County Plan Commission’s first discussion on proposed zoning amendments regarding commercial solar energy systems drew a large crowd to Columbus City Hall Wednesday.

Virtually every chair in the first floor Cal Brand meeting room was taken. Nearly 50 members of the audience remained quiet while watching the Bartholomew County Plan Commission meet from 8:30 to 11:35 a.m.

While a public hearing on the proposed zoning amendments is tentatively sent at the same time and place on July 13, commission member and county councilman Jorge Morales said a larger venue such as The Commons will be needed.

Since it currently appears each speaker will have five minutes, Morales said all involved should be prepared for an exceptionally long meeting next month.

Although Columbus/Bartholomew County Planning Director Jeff Bergman said he’ll check on The Commons availability, he advised a switch in location might necessitate a change in meeting dates or times. An announcement will be made when a final determination is made.

Some of the six written pages of proposed regulations emerged from a tour of the 1,100 acres Riverstart Solar Park in Randolph County, according to senior planner Emilie Pinkston, who led Wednesday’s presentation to the commission.

The proposals also came from secondary research on commercial solar development found in scientific articles published by professional organizations, Pinkston said. In addition, staff examined solar ordinances already in place within 14 Indiana counties, as well as four other Midwestern states, she said.

The effort to create new solar fields is being headed by two U.S. based companies, Tenaska and Arevon, with construction expected to begin next year or in 2024, and the solar field is expected to have a lifespan of 30 years, according to the companies.

An extensive amount of detail can be found in the six-page proposal of commercial solar field regulations that deal in many matters ranging from road maintenance after the initial setup to required glare analysis near airports.

While the decommissioning of a solar farm was also discussed extensively, Bergman said he was unaware of any commercial solar field that has been decommissioned because the oldest are only midway through their anticipated life span.

The most questions from commission members were in regard to proposed setback regulations that include:

  • All structures, equipment, storage areas and fencing, along with the solar panels, to be set back a minimum of 50 feet from the actual or planned right-of-way next to the nearest street or road.
  • For rear yard setbacks, the distance must be a minimum of 30 feet from all side and rear property lines. The facility shall be located closer than half-a-mile to any municipal boundary line.
  • No electrical substation for a solar farm will be located within 750 feet of residential properties, while the minimum distance for related components shall be within 500 feet.

Morales, as well as a few other commission members, asked Pinkston to provide several definitions, clarifications, potential loopholes and outcomes to hypothetical situations regarding proposed setbacks.

Commission president Tom Finke said he would like to see solar field setbacks established for schools, houses and other buildings similar to what there are for concentrated animal feeding operations.

The number of questions seemed to drop off after Bergman said each proposal to create a solar facility will be examined on a case-by-case basis by the Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals. The BZA is required to hold a public meeting for residents which includes public comment and response.

Bergman said one potential regulation that might be reexamined is about the type of buffer solar field developers should use. He said it doesn’t see right to ask that trees and shrubs be installed, but taken out years later when the land reverts back to agriculture.

Any motion voted on by the county plan commission next month will be presented as recommendations to the Bartholomew County Commissioners, who have the final say in the matter.

If the county commissioners approve the recommendations, every applicant wanting to build a commercial solar field will still have to seek permission from the BZA.

Not only is the BZA required to hold a public hearing for each applicant that allows concerns to be expressed, but they can also impose more restrictions on an applicant beyond what the zoning ordinance requires, commission officials said.