Kittitas County hearing draws debate over 90-megawatt Schnebly Coulee solar proposal

The Kittitas County hearing examiner on Feb. 26 heard roughly two hours of testimony for the Schnebly Coulee solar power production facility, a proposed 90-megawatt project spanning about 1,314 acres and sited primarily in the county’s Solar Overlay Zone 3. Community Development Services staff described the application and the code interpretation issue that will largely determine approval: how to read the ordinance phrase “routine view” in Kittitas County Code 17.61C, which governs screening and fencing for solar facilities.

The project, filed as conditional use application CU24-0003 and led by developer Invenergy, would place solar panels primarily in agricultural zoning (Ag-20) with a transmission corridor to the east. The applicant says roughly 695 acres would be fenced as the buildable area and proposes interconnection at the Poison Springs switch yard via about a 3.6-mile transmission line. The applicant provided a habitat management plan, cultural resources survey and other studies. The county issued a Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS) on Oct. 15, 2024; that MDNS was not appealed.

Why it matters: the hearing centered on two linked questions—whether the project meets the county’s land‑use and development standards, and how to apply the screening/fencing standard that requires being “consistent with the surrounding character” and to limit routine public views of the facility. Staff told the examiner that how the term “routine view” is interpreted will determine whether the project meets both the specific development standards and the conditional‑use review criteria.

Jeremy Johnston, Community Development Services, told the examiner the county’s code places the panels largely in Solar…