There won’t be any solar farms within the Bellefontaine corporation limits for the foreseeable future.
In a narrow vote, members of the Bellefontaine City Council during a Tuesday, Aug. 27, regular meeting voted against an ordinance that would have authorized new planning and zoning regulations for solar energy systems within the city limits.
The new planning and zoning proposals that council voted on would have helped pave the way for Hodson Energy to construct a 40-megawatt solar farm spanning about 200-plus acres in the area around Stockyard Road and U.S. Route 68 on the north side of the city.
The measure failed 4-3. Council members Deb Baker, Jordan Reser and Nick Davis voted in support of the project. Kyle Springs, Jenna James, Mackenzie Fitzpatrick and John Aler voted in opposition.
Kyle West, a developer representing Hodson Energy, previously presented the project to the city council, arguing the proposed site is ideally suited for a mixed-use industrial zoning location. West stressed that the site’s location does not encroach upon prime farmland and will drive significant revenue for the city.
However, the proposed solar farm encountered strong resistance from local residents. Tuesday’s meeting marked the second straight regular session in which residents packed the gallery, mostly to speak out in opposition of the solar farm.
Council has heard from neighboring residents and property owners adjacent to where the Hodson Energy solar farm would have been built. Property owners along township roads 56 and 99 near the proposed site have addressed council about their concerns with the solar farms, including due to reflective glare, maintenance of the farms and the set backs.
Neighboring residents have called the installation of the solar farm in the otherwise rural area, an “urban jungle.”
If council is it to revisit the zoning ordinance, it would begin again with the rules committee and planning commission for any future consideration.