Decatur County BZA denies Genex/Cobia commercial solar special-exception request

The Decatur County Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug. 6 denied a special-exception request from G Nex Solar (Cobia Solar) to construct a commercial solar energy facility, voting 5-0 against the petition.

The board voted "no" for petition BZA 2024-8: Janie Levinson — no; Scott Smith — no; Andrew Brunei — no; Rick Hoey — no; Paul Stone — no. The motion presented to the board would have approved the project subject to several agreements and conditions, including an economic development agreement, a road-use agreement, a decommissioning agreement, a master agricultural preservation agreement, a fire-safety and emergency-response agreement, compliance with the county stormwater ordinance and technical-review conditions, and a requirement that panels be recycled at end of service. The board denied the application.

Why it matters: The proposed Cobia Solar project would have covered multiple parcels across thousands of acres of farmland in Decatur County and generated contested estimates of local fiscal benefit and costs. Supporters argued the project would bring direct payments to the county and landowners and include agrivoltaic provisions such as sheep grazing; opponents said the facility would consume agricultural land, harm property values and rural character, and raised concerns about decommissioning and long-term disposal of panels.

Public comment and objections dominated the meeting. Jason Kuchme, an attorney representing a coalition of county property owners opposed to the project, told the board he represented “Decatur County Citizens Stop…