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Solar panel zoning requests create controversy in Bartholomew County

By Sara Molina

Posted October 31, 2022

Bartholomew County residents communicate with a display at WY 7 and 250E, HWY 11 across from the fairgrounds and 25th Street and Bonnell Rd. (Bartholomew County Residents Concerned About Commercial Solar Fields)

Solar panel zoning requests moved one step closer to finalization Monday, following a Bartholomew County Commissioners meeting.

Solar panel facilities help the environment by converting the sun’s energy into electricity, but not all citizens are in favor of them.

Bartholomew County Planning Director Jeff Bergman says the conflict in the new zoning requests is about balancing relationships between people who live around potential facilities and those who want to use the land as a solar array.

“The real benefit, hopefully, is striking that right balance so that those two different interests can coexist well in Bartholomew County,” he said. “If there are farmers that want to use their ground for solar farm, [we want] to allow them to do so, but not have a negative impact on the people who live around them.”

Listen to: Columbus Lienhoop on pandemic fallout, housing development

Solar facilities are becoming increasingly common across the country, and the county has been contacted developers who want to build panels in Indiana.

Solar facilities have been proposed for the county since June but research began in 2020, Bergman said.

“It started with a staff research effort that then transitioned to writing those standards that would be included in the zoning ordinance,” he said. “And then sort of formally proposing the adoption of these new regulations for these kinds of facilities, we got to that step over the summer.”

The planning commission is working with the county commissioners to update the county’s zoning request, Bergman said.

“This past Monday, the commissioners made their decision, so they looked at the planning commission recommendation, they understood what the public was sharing with them,” he said. “And they actually passed an ordinance that adopted these new standards for these commercial solar facilities.”

According to The Republic, the new standards for commercial solar facilities include:

Setbacks of solar fields to be 200 feet from schools, churches, residential zoning districts and other properties that are not involved.

* Setbacks of 200 feet from schools, churches, residential zoning districts and other properties.

* Setbacks of 500 feet from residences that are not involved, unless property owners sign a waiver.

* Equipment one to three feet above ground

* Agreements for variances by property owners and developers

Not all Bartholomew County residents are pleased, even with the new stipulations.

One citizen said Bartholomew County and Columbus are too special for these developments to take over.

“It's just the vast nature of large industrial installations that's going to prevent any further development in Bartholomew County,” he said. “It's a large industrial blight that's not going to produce any jobs.”

The citizen wanted to remain anonymous after hearing about a similar incident in Shelby County. Someone there opposed the solar facilities and received death threats, he said.

Because the county commissioners made slight changes to regulations recommended by the planning commission, Bergman said the process will be prolonged.

“It gets referred back to the planning commission… to either indicate to the county commissioners that they agree with the changes the commissioners made, or that they disagree, and why,” Bergman said.

The commission will reconsider the revised proposal in November.