County reviews Board of Adjustment approval for Louisa–Muscatine utility-scale solar project
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Summary
Staff briefed supervisors on a special-use permit the Board of Adjustment granted for the Louisa–Muscatine solar project covering roughly 300+ acres in A1 zoning and additional industrially zoned acreage; staff noted CSR is not a deciding factor under the county's solar ordinance.
Muscatine County staff reviewed a Board of Adjustment decision to grant a special-use permit for the Louisa–Muscatine utility-scale solar project during the supervisors’ Nov. 10 meeting.
County development director Eric Furnace said the Board of Adjustment’s Oct. 30 hearing resulted in approval of a special-use permit for roughly 300 acres in A1 agricultural zoning in the Fruitland/Isley Hills area. He noted additional acreage within the project footprint is already zoned industrial, where large-scale solar is a permitted use and therefore not subject to special-use review. Furnace also said much of the ground in the Muscatine portion is low CSR (crop productivity), but reminded supervisors that CSR is not a consideration under the county’s solar ordinance.
The presentation was largely informational; no board action was taken on Nov. 10. Furnace said the project remains subject to the county’s solar-ordinance requirements, including setbacks and other site standards.