Barren County residents urge protections as large solar project advances

A steady stream of residents packed a Barren County town-hall meeting to demand protections and more notice after a large proposed solar project drew complaints from landowners who said the development would surround homes and harm property values.

The judge, serving as the meeting moderator, opened the session by saying the county currently has planning but not countywide zoning and invited two-minute public comments. Tiffany Thompson, who identified herself as an adjacent landowner, told the panel: "This is gonna affect everyone ... If it's coming out of our tax dollars, then we are paying for this." She said panels placed as close as 10 feet from property lines would be "pretty abhorrent" and asked whether the county could pull the project back for local review.

Several other residents echoed Thompson. Sheila Mitchell said a neighbor’s property would be "surrounded on four sides" and asked who would compensate owners for lost value; another speaker asked whether property owners have received adequate notification of hearings. Farmers and local small-business owners framed the issue as both economic and personal: Adam Thompson said large industrial projects had "drastically changed" traffic and community character in other counties, and one participant warned the change could undermine multi‑generation family farms.

County staff and legal advisers told the audience the situation is constrained by state law and regulatory process. An agency official explained that planning commissions handle subdivision regulation and that, absent a county zoning ordinance in effect before a developer’s filings, the county’s powers to block a project are limited. A legal adviser summarized KRS 100 and the Public Service Commission (PSC) process, saying developers must file detailed studies with the PSC and that the PSC evaluates whether applicants meet statutory factors; he said a county ordinance cannot be applied retroactively to projects that meet the PSC’s statutory checklist.

Residents urged local leaders to act short of—or before—creating countywide zoning. Suggestions included creating binding stipulations in zone-change proceedings (setbacks, screening), developing targeted rules for utility-scale solar, and drafting a letter from magistrates and managers to the PSC opposing the project. One resident asked county managers to sign a joint letter requesting denial or stricter conditions from the PSC; officials said residents may also submit comments directly to the commission.

The moderator closed by saying there is no draft zoning ordinance yet for Barren County and that the meeting was an opportunity to hear community concerns. He and other county officials said the planning commission will present a comprehensive plan and future land‑use map in coming meetings and encouraged residents to participate in the PSC process and local hearings.

The meeting produced no formal vote; it was an information‑gathering session and an invitation for further public comment and potential administrative or legislative steps.