Houston County commissioners deny 5 MW Caledonia-area solar conditional use permit
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Summary
After hours of public comment about prime farmland and local planning gaps, the Houston County Board of Commissioners voted to deny a conditional use permit for a 5-megawatt commercial solar project near the Caledonia substation; commissioners said zoning and the comprehensive land use plan need clearer standards before approval.
The Houston County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 3 denied a conditional use permit for a proposed 5-megawatt commercial solar array near the Caledonia substation, voting to uphold the planning commission and staff recommendation that the project be blocked until the county updates its comprehensive plan and zoning rules.
Amelia, a Houston County planning staff member, told the board the planning commission recommended denial because the county’s comprehensive land use plan and zoning ordinance lack size thresholds, decommissioning rules and other standards for commercial solar. "This project is moving forward simply because the ordinance does allow solar energy systems," Amelia said, adding the county’s ordinance currently sets only regular structural setbacks and no size thresholds.
The permit sought by 1 Energy Development LLC on behalf of AC4 Farms LLC would have installed a ground-mounted solar array west of the Caledonia substation. Company representatives said the Wild Turkey Solar Project is designed to connect to the local distribution substation, not the Marybel transmission line, and estimated the array would generate about 10,000,000 kilowatt-hours a year to serve that substation. "So it is going to serve the existing needs of that substation and not anything else," a 1 Energy representative said.
Residents and local organizations urged the board to prioritize farmland preservation and follow the county’s planning documents. Rebecca Marshall, president of the Houston County Farm Bureau, said the Farm Bureau passed a policy opposing wind and solar facilities on production farmland with a crop equivalent rating (CER) of 70 or higher. "We oppose wind and solar facilities being put on production farmland that has a CER...70 or higher," Marshall told commissioners.
Several speakers described the project as inconsistent with the 2023 comprehensive land use plan, and others warned of broader infrastructure pressures, including the proposed Marybel transmission line. Clint Vonnax told the board he and neighbors collected a petition with 692 signatures urging commissioners to uphold the comp plan. Landowner Sherry Allen, one of the project applicants, said she and her husband do not support the Marybel transmission project and asked the board to consider fair, countywide standards: "I'm glad it was made clear that we do not have anything to do with Marybelle," she said.
Planning commissioners and several board members said the county lacks a specific commercial-solar ordinance with clear rules on setbacks, decommissioning and agrivoltaic practices. A planning commissioner who moved to deny the permit said the county must amend both the comprehensive land use plan and the zoning ordinance before approving projects of this scale.
The motion to deny the conditional use permit carried on a roll-call vote of the full board. One commissioner explained the vote as primarily procedural: the county must "redo our comp plan" and adopt implementing ordinances before permitting projects of this type.
After the vote, staff said they will draft ordinance changes and consider resolutions or other legal options regarding the Marybel transmission proposal. County staff also announced corrected public-notice dates for an upcoming hearing on a related matter and said they will return with recommended ordinance updates for commissioners to consider.
Next steps: staff and Amelia said they will prepare proposed ordinance language and present options to the board. The county also will continue public notices and hearings on related topics; staff reminded residents that a Houston County public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at the Houston County Justice Center basement, and additional meetings are planned as the county works on ordinance language.
Vote at a glance: Motion to deny conditional use permit for 1 Energy Development LLC/AC4 Farms LLC (5 MW ground-mounted solar near Caledonia substation) — motion carried (roll-call vote); commissioners cited inconsistency with the comprehensive land use plan and absence of county standards for commercial solar.