Davenport council pauses allowing solar farms, orders staff review through Nov. 14

The Davenport City Council opened and then placed on continued discussion a city-initiated moratorium on solar farms and freestanding solar panels on private property, effective until Nov. 14, 2025, to give staff time to review zoning language and siting near the airport.

Council members said the pause is intended to let staff study how the city’s zoning — last updated for solar in 2019 — should address new technology, airport proximity and whether large commercial solar installations should be permitted by right.

A resident, Jane Duex of the Fifth Ward, asked why the moratorium was needed and whether small installations such as solar panels used for traffic signals would be affected. “I just was wondering why we're having a moratorium on solar farms,” Duex said at the lectern. Laura, a staff member answering questions at the podium, told the council the moratorium is a council-initiated item and that staff had received a number of recent inquiries about solar farms. “We want to review that and upcoming technology and trends to make sure we're looking at things thoughtfully,” Laura said.

Council members clarified that the moratorium covers freestanding solar arrays on private property when those arrays are not part of a principal use (for example, a building or residence). Alderman McGinnis and Alderman Kelly asked for examples and locations of recent complaints; Gripp said staff would try to share information with council so members can see the residential case in question. Council also noted that installations in the public right of way (for example, a solar panel powering a traffic signal) are not regulated by the zoning code and would not be affected by the moratorium.

A motion to place items 1–3 on consent while keeping the solar moratorium item on the discussion agenda passed without objection; council set the moratorium to remain under review during the pause. No final zoning changes were adopted at the meeting.

Why this matters: council members said a moratorium gives staff time to compare other communities’ approaches, consider airport safety/stipulations and propose ordinance language so the city can weigh permitting rules for commercial solar installations versus residential or right-of-way uses.

Next steps: staff will research code changes, siting restrictions and possible stipulations and return options to council after the review period ends or earlier if needed.