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Council told planning commission recommended text amendment and CUP public hearings for proposed solar project transmission lines
Summary
Planning commission forwarded a positive recommendation to the town council to consider a text amendment related to transmission lines for a proposed solar farm; commissioners said a public hearing is required for both the conditional use permit and the text amendment and requested more detailed route maps from Rocky Mountain Power.
The Fairfield planning commission forwarded a positive recommendation to the Town Council to consider a text amendment tied to transmission lines for a proposed solar farm, commissioners said during the Jan. 15 meeting. Commissioners noted that both a conditional use permit (CUP) and the related text amendment will require public hearings before final action.
“Because it’s a text amendment, we have to do a public hearing,” one commissioner said. The commission discussed whether notices were sent and agreed to schedule hearings at the council’s February meeting. The commission also agreed it needed a map showing where the transmission lines would run south of town; planners reported difficulty obtaining that route from Rocky Mountain Power.
Why it matters: The text amendment and CUP will change zoning/land‑use permissions and require public hearings and formal council action. Transmission‑line routing and easements could affect neighborhoods and town infrastructure planning.
Commissioners said Rocky Mountain Power presented multiple route options and was slow to provide a single, detailed map. “They were having a hard time getting Rocky Mountain to respond to them,” a planning member said. Commissioners said the version of the line shown to the commission would likely run along the east border of the developer’s property and remain on private property, which the presenter said would avoid the need for easements.
Planning staff noted a town petition related to the airpark has been submitted, with roughly 75–80% of residents signing and turned into staff. Commissioners agreed to hold public hearings for both the CUP and the text amendment before forwarding a recommendation to the council.
No formal council votes on the amendment or CUP were taken at the Jan. 15 meeting; planning staff and the commission agreed to return with public‑hearing notices and any updated route maps for council review.
