Staff flags 6,000-acre Orion Energy solar proposal for September review; board agrees to move next meeting

Planning staff informed the Mills County Zoning Board that a conditional-use permit application has arrived for a large solar project in northwest Mills County and that Orion Energy is the applicant. Staff described the project footprint as approximately 6,000 acres of leased land with roughly 4,500 acres to be covered by solar panels and said the applicant has proposed a community-benefit plan estimated between $200,000 and $500,000 per year to be delivered through Mills County.

Staff told the board the application will need sign-offs from multiple county entities — the board of supervisors, county engineer, conservation and emergency management — and that planning staff expects to bring the item to the Zoning Board for formal review on Sept. 15, provided staff receives internal agency comments by Aug. 21.

The staff discussion noted past large projects and labor influxes during construction, and described the parcel as stretching roughly from Bunge Avenue toward the river and including parcels on both sides of the interstate in places. The staff presentation named Orion Energy as the project lead and characterized the project as the largest landscape change Mills County has seen in recent years.

Separately during new business, the board discussed rescheduling its next meeting because it falls during the state fair. The chair moved to reschedule to Aug. 25, 2026; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

No formal board action on the solar application occurred at this meeting; staff asked for early comments and clarified the internal review steps that must be completed before the item returns to the Zoning Board.