Residents press commissioners over proposed Brushy Mountain-area solar project; county outlines timeline

Dozens of residents from North Iredell told the Iredell County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that they oppose a proposed utility-scale solar project near the Brushy Mountain area and asked the board to halt rezoning until additional environmental and cultural studies are completed.

The residents said the project — currently in a preliminary, conditional-zoning phase — could harm local water supplies, reduce property values, disrupt wildlife and pose fire and health risks. County staff told the board the applicant has completed a pre-application and held a public input meeting on March 3 but has not filed an official rezoning application.

The concerns were voiced during the board's public comment period. Susan Di Giacomo, who said she lives about three-quarters of a mile from the proposed site, told the commission that “there are numerous deleterious effects that are toxic and in terms of pose risk to the local community,” and raised groundwater and chemical-contamination fears. “Solar farms were sold to the public as a source of clean energy. In fact, there are numerous…