Columbia County commissioners reject rezoning for proposed solar farm near Patriot’s Park

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 5 voted to disapprove a rezoning request to allow a solar farm on property on Columbia Road across from Patriot’s Park. The motion to disapprove the rezoning from PUD to S-1 carried after public comment from the applicant and multiple nearby residents.

The proposal drew testimony from Warren Critco, who identified his address and said the project responded to a Georgia Power request for proposals and would produce local renewable energy and tax revenue. Critco told commissioners the project “is compliant with the county’s current solar ordinance” and described proposed buffers, vegetative screening and nonreflective panels. “The power purchase agreement that we have with Georgia Power is for 35 years,” he said, adding the developer planned to source panels and inverters that would not include components of concern.

Neighbors objected to the location and to environmental and property-value risks. Bridal Heidman, 104 Hot Springs Court, warned that storm damage to panels can release hazardous materials and said recycling and cleanup costs are high, citing reports she said were from the Institute for Energy Research. Joanne Murdoch said the site “does not meet the characteristics for the area in your own comprehensive plan” and urged commissioners to reject the rezoning because the site abuts residential uses and a major county park.

The applicant described mitigation plans including a vegetative buffer and erosion controls by a civil site firm; residents pressed commissioners on potential runoff into nearby creeks, visibility from the road and the long-term lifecycle and disposal of panels. The applicant said the array would be set back roughly 200 feet from the road and that screening and fence placement would limit visibility except at the access point.

Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to disapprove the rezoning. The chair called for hands and the motion carried; the transcript records the motion carried but does not list individual vote tallies.

Why this matters: The site is adjacent to residential property and Patriot’s Park, triggering local concerns about land-use compatibility, water runoff and long-term disposal of photovoltaic panels. The decision ends this rezoning request but does not preclude future applications from the property owner under different terms or locations.

What’s next: The commission recorded that the rezoning is disapproved; no additional conditions or follow-up tasks were stated on the record at this meeting.