Lee County zoning board hears technical, health and property concerns over two Mount Hill Road solar projects

The Lee County Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing April 10 on special-use permit applications from Mound Hill Road North Solar LLC and Mound Hill Road South Solar LLC to construct and operate commercial solar energy facilities on Mount Hill Road.

Residents raised questions about potential soil and groundwater contamination from galvanized steel piles, the depth of pile driving, damage to agricultural drain tiles, traffic and visual glare, and the effect on nearby property values. Petitioners’ witnesses outlined design choices, permitting steps and decommissioning estimates and said some details will be finalized during later engineering and permitting.

The hearing matters because neighbors and the county must weigh potential long-term environmental and agricultural impacts, access and emergency-response planning, and whether mitigation measures in the application are adequate before any special-use permits are granted. The board recessed the hearing to continue testimony on April 14.

Petitioners’ lead witness, identified in the hearing as Mr. Schwer, said the two Mound Hill LLCs are lessees of the parcels and that Clean Capital Holdings is currently the LLCs’ owner. Asked whether a foreign government might purchase the projects, Schwer said, "It's unlikely that a sovereign nation would purchase the projects. It will likely be an asset manager." On radio interference, he said, "There would not be" interference with the nearby Midway Drive-In. Schwer also told the board that the project’s final pile type "will be determined in final engineering," and that piles would "likely" be galvanized steel.

Civil engineer Andy Gulone of Civil & Environmental Consultants (CEC) described site surveys and the revised site plans, and summarized the firm’s work on the application: ALTA boundary…