By: Adam Rollins, Staff Writer
Warren County’s planning and zoning board has given first-round approval to rules that would allow the creation of large-scale solar energy farms. The rules now go to the Warren County Commission for consideration and an eventual vote.
At a public hearing Aug. 20, eight members of the planning board gave unanimous approval to a new section of zoning code for “solar energy overlay districts.” The regulations describe where and how solar farms could be built in Warren County.
Currently, solar farms are not allowed by default because they are not included in the county zoning code.
Proposed rules
Proposed rules for the solar districts include that they could only be established on agricultural land, and all surrounding properties must also be agricultural or industrial.
Solar districts would be a minimum of 50 acres, and would have a default setback of 200 feet from any residence outside the district.
A vegetation buffer would be required to block line of sight from nearby residences and public roads.
Future hearings
The Warren County Commission will hold three more public hearings to gather input from residents about the proposed rules. The hearings will be Sept. 15, 22 and 29.
Specific times and locations have not been announced, but officials said the hearings will be focused in the northern portion of the county, where solar energy companies have already expressed interest.
Solar developers
Two solar energy developers said they plan to build solar farms in Warren County if the new rules are approved. The companies are Invenergy and Ranger Power, both of which have completed similar projects across the U.S.
Representatives of both companies spoke to the planning and zoning board Aug. 20.
Pete Endres, with Ranger Power, said solar power has become much more affordable to develop in recent years, competing with the price of other types of electricity. Endres said Warren County has ideal features for a development: electrical infrastructure, available land that gets a lot of sun and is easy to develop, and property owners interested in participating.
Michelle Pavan, with Invenergy, said a solar farm would be run by a handful of employees once built. She also commented that the vegetation planted around the solar farm and beneath the panels would preserve soil quality and biodiversity, in case the land returns to agricultural use.
And Mike Blazer, also with Invenergy, explained that the solar panels the company builds don’t contain any hazardous materials. He also cited several studies stating that solar farms don’t negatively affect surrounding property values.
“In fact, often times there is a positive impact, because of the additional economic benefits that are generated from a project like this,” Blazer commented.
Although both companies said they’re interested in creating solar farms in Warren County, neither has released details of their planned projects.
Public response
The solar district proposal received mixed response from members of the public who spoke during the hearing Aug. 20. Some supported the idea of a solar energy development, while others remained concerned about their property values or the prospect of living around “ugly” solar panels.
One concern expressed by two area residents is that putting a solar development into an agricultural area would take prime farmland out of production. They pointed out that agriculture is a vital part of Warren County’s economy.
“I’m very concerned that we really think about the consequences of taking some of our most productive agricultural land out of production,” said farmer Theresa Lee. “In 2016, the Missouri Department of Agriculture conducted a study, and they found that Warren County had sales related to agriculture of $287 million. Agriculture brought $16.8 million in tax revenue to Warren County, and accounted for almost 1,500 jobs.
“There is a lot of economic impact that our current agriculture system has,” said Lee.
Permits include sizable fee
County Attorney Mark Vincent said if the county approves the rules for solar energy districts, each company would still have to apply for their individual projects. First, they would have to request an area be designated as a solar district, and then they would have to apply for a special permit issued by the Warren County Commission.
The solar farm permit would include annual fees based on the size of the project, Vincent said.
The proposed amount for the fees is $2,500 per megawatt of electricity generated.
“The county commission will take (that funding) and divide it up among ... school districts, fire districts, ambulance districts. All those different services will be benefited,” Vincent said.
