Planning commission recommends denial of Wilkinson family 281-acre solar CUP after lengthy public comment

CHINO VALLEY, Ariz. — The Chino Valley Planning and Zoning Commission on June 3 voted to recommend denial of Conditional Use Permit CUP 2025-01, a proposal to build a photovoltaic solar array and battery energy storage system on roughly 281 acres of Wilkinson family land near 3245 Jerome Junction. The commission’s recommendation (four in favor of denial, two opposed, one abstention) will be transmitted to the Town Council, which has final authority.

Town planning staff summarized the application and regulatory history, telling the commission the proposal covers two parcels within a larger 642–690 acre ownership; staff said approximately 281 acres are proposed for the solar facility. Staff reviewed prior approvals and the town’s solar-ordinance process: an earlier CUP for the site expired without construction, a proposed change to the open-space district was not recommended by the commission in 2022, and the town later formed a staff solar advisory committee that drafted an ordinance that council did not adopt in March 2025. Staff said a neighbor letter prompted an expanded list of conditions for the current CUP and recommended the commission hold a public hearing and forward the case to council for decision.

Sarah, a representative of Prospect 14 (the project developer), presented the Wilkinson Family Solar Project and described it as a 281-acre photovoltaic…