Shawnee County Planning Commission planning staff presented draft solar energy regulations at a town hall meeting meant to gather public input on how the county should allow and limit solar farms.

The planning staff said the county has been discussing solar rules for several years, that a wind ban and a moratorium on solar previously moved the work forward, and that the draft before the public reflects multiple work sessions and feedback from fire districts and cities. Planning staff also said the county has no pending solar-farm applications at this time.

The League of Women Voters of Topeka Shawnee County urged changes to the draft, saying the proposed 240-acre project cap, 500-foot setbacks and a ban on on-site battery storage would “discourage” larger solar projects and reduce local opportunities. Vicky Arneat, co-chair of the league’s Topeka-Shawnee County Climate Committee, said the group supports clean energy but recommended allowing projects of at least 1,000 acres, reducing setbacks to no more than 100 feet, and reconsidering the battery-storage ban to reflect advancing safety standards.

Multiple residents raised safety and neighborhood-impact concerns. Richard Johnson, a Silverlake resident, cited a list of national reports and claims about panel performance, land use and runoff, argued solar farms can cause habitat loss and maintenance problems, and said existing local installations showed vegetation growing up to arrays. Diane Denham, a resident, recommended caution on battery storage and cited the Moss Landing, California, incident as a reason for concern; she also raised insurance risk and urged considering larger setbacks similar to proposed Jackson County standards.

Technical and interconnection questions came from Don Taylor, a licensed professional engineer who said he worked in system planning and transmission operations at the company formerly known as Kansas Power and Light. Taylor flagged draft language that would require all in-project collection and communications lines to be underground unless in a public right-of-way, saying large projects normally use transmission lines and private rights-of-way that function differently than distribution lines. He also asked staff to clarify the draft’s reference to an “executed power purchase agreement or interconnection agreement,” noting that large-generation projects typically work through the Southwest Power Pool interconnection queue and that interconnection agreements vary by utility and project size.

Planning staff explained several points raised by the public and stakeholders: the draft intends to allow solar in many floodplain layers except the most-restricted floodway zones; setback measurements currently focus on existing residences rather than platted but undeveloped subdivision lots; the draft includes a provision allowing the Board of County Commissioners to approve projects that exceed the draft limits; and the draft does not currently permit on-site battery storage, a decision the commission reached after discussion and which staff said could be revisited countywide later.

Fire-district concerns were raised about emergency access and the ability to place apparatus between panel rows; Shawnee Heights Fire District was specifically named. Staff said the county would follow up with fire districts to refine setback and access language. Staff also noted existing conditional-use permits require maintenance and that the county can investigate and enforce permit conditions if residents report possible maintenance violations.

County staff summarized changes they expect to make before a future public hearing: clarifying floodplain language, reviewing setbacks and fire-district recommendations for apparatus access, clarifying spare-parts/storage language so on-site enclosed storage is permitted while open “junk” is not, and refining payment-in-lieu-of-tax language to account for impacts on local taxing entities such as fire districts. Staff said a public hearing must be published and anticipated scheduling a hearing after the busy November meeting cycle, potentially in December or January, and that interested parties would be notified via the county’s planning email list and standard publication requirements.

The town hall ended with staff requesting written comments to planning@snco.us and saying they would incorporate feedback into the formal draft to be considered at a subsequent public hearing.