LaPorte County BZA denies Yellowstone Solar Project special exception

The LaPorte County Board of Zoning Appeals on July 21 denied a special-exception petition from Yellowstone Solar Project, LLC to build a large-scale ground-mounted solar energy system on roughly 626.85 acres in Johnson Township.

Board members said they had received extensive information but still had unresolved questions about environmental and emergency-response plans. Hoosier Solar vice president Nick Barbknecht told the board the company had submitted environmental impact statements and threatened-and-endangered-species studies to permitting agencies and said the project would include "24-7 monitoring" and training with local fire responders. "We will commit as a condition for you all today, that if approved, we will do that same training for every neighboring township that also provides mutual aid to Johnson Township, even though Hamlet is the primary servicer," Barbknecht said.

Why it matters: The parcel list in the application covered multiple contiguous parcels and totaled about 626.85 acres (parcel IDs: 46-16-08-400-006.000-051 and others). Board members pressed applicants about whether the environmental and endangered-species materials were in the meeting packet, about local emergency-access plans and where responsibility for fire response would lie. The building commissioner confirmed the submitted environmental documents are available in the public file.

Board action: Ernie Schmidt moved to deny the petition; the motion was seconded and carried. The petition was denied by a 3-2 vote.

What happens next: The denial stops the special-exception path before any additional project approvals can be granted by the county for the proposed layout. Applicants and neighbors were directed to use the building commissioner's office public record to review submitted studies and supporting documents.

Sources and evidence: Discussion and the motion were recorded on the public transcript of the LaPorte County BZA meeting on July 21, 2026.