Developer details 134‑MW Gibson Solar plan in Shiloh; proposes conservation easement, sheep grazing and decommissioning surety as neighbors raise concerns

Open Road Renewables presented plans for the Gibson Solar project in the Shiloh District, describing a 134-megawatt array sited along a 230-kilovolt transmission corridor that the developer says would occupy about 890 acres of privately owned parcels and preserve roughly 70% of the land in a permanent conservation easement.

Ryan Gilchrist, a company representative, told the board the project was located to access existing high-voltage headroom on the regional transmission line and was designed to minimize visual and environmental impacts. “Local control is really important. It's what results in these win‑wins for the community,” Gilchrist said, describing design changes made after community input.

Key elements the developer presented: - Size and siting: a 134-MW project using roughly 890 acres of parcel area; panels concentrated within interior fenced areas while buffers, setbacks and landscaping occupy much of the outer acreage. - Conservation commitment: a proposed permanent conservation easement on about 1,300 acres (the company said that figure includes…