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Neighbors raise scenic and environmental concerns as Planning Commission forwards Leidel's Orchard 1.5-MW solar petition to County Board without recommendation
Summary
The commission heard staff and petitioner presentations on a proposed 1.5-MW solar facility at Leidel's Orchard in the A/RC and Mississippi River Bluffs overlay. Neighbors cited scenic-byway impacts, screening and wildlife concerns; the commission forwarded the petition to the County Board without recommendation after a tied amendment vote over a three-year build requirement.
The Winona County Planning Commission on March 19 considered Docket PC 03-19-26-02, a request by property owner Leidel's Orchard and co-petitioner Ice House Solar 4 LLC for a 1.5-megawatt solar energy system in the Agricultural/Resource Conservation zoning district and the Mississippi River Bluffs overlay. Planner Lew Overhaug presented site maps, setback and bluff-overlay details; the staff packet shows the proposed array would sit on slopes of roughly 12–18% and within 300 feet of the top of a bluff and identified relevant ordinance sections (Chapters 10.4.6(37), 11.6.3(1) and (3), and 12.3).
Petitioner representatives Mike Cathcart (Ice House Solar 4 LLC) and landowner Kevin Leidel described limited viable locations on the site and noted financial challenges for maintaining the orchard. Leidel said the orchard was no longer economically viable: "it is no longer economically feasible to grow apples at this location due to the slopes, large trees, and soil." Neighbors Jenny and Garth Zenke voiced concerns about visual impacts along the Apple Blossom Drive Scenic Byway, the durability of vegetative screening (including browsing by wildlife), potential noise, effects on wildlife habitat, and whether nearby residents would receive tangible energy benefits.
Commissioners questioned surety bond values, decommissioning plans, erosion control, driveway placement, and the potential for a berm between the project and County Road 1. Members discussed whether to require that the project be built within three years or risk revocation of the conditional use permit; a proposed amendment to add a three-year build condition resulted in a 4–4 tie. The commission ultimately voted to forward the petition to the Winona County Board without a recommendation; the item was announced for the County Board agenda on April 14, 2026.
Township acknowledgement documentation included a statement that the Dresbach Township Board had "no comments" regarding the petition. The commission recorded the public hearing, considered alternatives suggested by neighbors and petitioners (such as relocating or resizing the array), and discussed cost and study implications of alternatives that would require re-running environmental analyses.
