Dane County zoning panel approves multiple rezones and two conditional-use permits; several petitions postponed

The Dane County Zoning and Land Regulation Committee on May 27 approved multiple rezoning requests and two conditional-use permits (CUPs), and postponed several other petitions pending further town review.

The committee approved a conditional-use permit for Payne & Dolan to host an approximately 7.5-acre solar array on leased quarry property in the Town of Vienna, authorized a revised CUP and new safety conditions for Warmbelly Noble LLC’s event operations in the Town of Cottage Grove, recommended adoption of an amendment to the Town of Cottage Grove comprehensive plan, and approved a county resolution to accept donated funds to help property owners file discharge documents removing discriminatory covenants.

Committee action affected more than a dozen individual rezoning petitions during the meeting. Several petitions were approved with standard conditions — chiefly recording of a certified survey map (CSM) and deed notices where development rights are exhausted — while a number of petitions were postponed to allow towns to complete companion reviews or to permit applicants time to revise site plans.

Payne & Dolan solar array

The committee approved a CUP for Payne & Dolan to host a customer‑sited solar array owned and operated by Wisconsin Power and Light on property near County Highway I in the Town of Vienna. Staff said the array would occupy roughly 7.5 acres of a larger, more than 150‑acre parcel and produce nearly 1.5 megawatts. The Town of Vienna recommended approval with no conditions; county staff recommended approval subject to 13 conditions, including a site‑specific decommissioning requirement that equipment be removed and the site restored when the lease ends.

Holly Merson, representing the applicant, said the facility would be fenced, planted in…