BZA says no to solar farm

Engie denied special exception to build 1,800-acre facility; leaders fear what may come next

The Howard County Board of Zoning Appeals on July 26 turned down an application by solar electricity producer Engie to allow a solar farm to be built in eastern part of the county. The denial was greeted with cheers from red-shirted residents opposing the development.

The thrill of victory may be short-lived, however. Representatives from the company say they will re-evaluate their project in light of the denial, but county officials expressed concerns that the community’s opportunity to control this type of growth and benefit financially from it may have been wasted in the process.

Remonstrators line up to voice their support or opposition to the solar farm.

Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman testified during the hearing in favor of the project. After the denial, he explained just how financially detrimental the decision may be for the community.

“We could negotiate a $1-2 million economic development agreement, which is paid straight to Howard County for economic development purposes,” said Wyman. “It could be used for anything to benefit our community.

“We asked the company if it would consider coming up with a ‘good neighbor’ agreement instead of a property value guarantee. They are willing to write checks for $20,000 to people. I can show those people where there is no impact on property values. Take the money and run. Sell your house and get the full value, and guess what? You made $20,000. A lot of them signed up to take the $20,000 because they see the value.”

But the economic development and good neighbor agreements won’t come to pass if decisions like this are left to the state, which is exactly what the legislature is attempting to do, Wyman said.