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Santa Fe County planning staff preview large commercial solar, variance and cell-tower cases
Summary
Santa Fe County planning staff on Sept. 16 told the county Planning Commission that a new commercial solar facility application for Stanley has been accepted for submittal and is expected to go first to the hearing officer in November, then to the Planning Commission likely in January.
Santa Fe County planning staff on Sept. 16 told the county Planning Commission that a new commercial solar facility application for Stanley has been accepted for submittal and is expected to go first to the hearing officer in November, then to the Planning Commission likely in January. Planning staff said the proposed Stanley facility is “larger than the previous one,” and that specific size and capacity were not specified.
The information came as part of staff remarks about cases expected before the commission in the coming months. Planning staff said, “We did have a hearing officer meeting last week where we did hear a variance case. So that will be going forward next month.” The staff update also noted a cell-tower case is pending and that the county is still waiting on information before placing it on an agenda.
Commissioners approved routine business for the meeting before the staff update. The agenda was approved by voice vote. The commission approved the Aug. 21, 2025 meeting minutes with a correction and approved the consent agenda, including Case 205560, which passed 5-0 on the consent calendar. Commissioner Pava moved approval of Case 205560 and Commissioner Bruegger seconded the motion.
Chair Beaud announced the commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting for Oct. 16. No further details about the solar project’s acreage, generation capacity, or specific permit requests were provided at the meeting. Staff said the timing for the Stanley solar project is preliminary and contingent on submittal completeness and subsequent hearing schedules.
The meeting included limited discussion; absent commission member Lacruse Crawford was noted as not attending. No formal decisions on the solar facility, the variance, or the cell-tower case were made at the Sept. 16 meeting; staff indicated those items will proceed through the hearing officer and Planning Commission processes when information and schedules are finalized.
For residents and stakeholders tracking these matters: details such as project size, specific permit types, and technical studies for the Stanley solar site were not specified in the staff update and will need to be confirmed in future hearing notices.
