HAZELTON TWP. — A local businessman’s campaign to stop a second solar farm from going up in the township appears to have succeeded, with township officials recently imposing a year-long moratorium on any new solar farms.
Hazelton Township leaders are also working toward the township taking control of its own planning and zoning decisions, which until now have rested with Shiawassee County.
“Hazelton Township, we have done our part,” Wheeler Trucking owner Rex Wheeler said Thursday. “We have solar coming 2 miles into our township. We do not want any more.”
County officials previously changed zoning rules, paving the way for the county’s first solar farm — the largest in Michigan, built by Ranger Power.
Assembly Solar is investing $250 …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]HAZELTON TWP. — A local businessman’s campaign to stop a second solar farm from going up in the township appears to have succeeded, with township officials recently imposing a year-long moratorium on any new solar farms.
Hazelton Township leaders are also working toward the township taking control of its own planning and zoning decisions, which until now have rested with Shiawassee County.
“Hazelton Township, we have done our part,” Wheeler Trucking owner Rex Wheeler said Thursday. “We have solar coming 2 miles into our township. We do not want any more.”
County officials previously changed zoning rules, paving the way for the county’s first solar farm — the largest in Michigan, built by Ranger Power.
Assembly Solar is investing $250 million and covering 1,900 acres of one-time farm fields and vacant land in Hazelton and Venice townships, between Lennon and New Lothrop.
When word got out that the Brooklyn, New York-based Ranger Power was looking into building a second solar farm in the area, Wheeler launched a drive to stop it.
He previously told The Argus-Press he believed it was wrong to locate a new solar farm in an area of homes, and that such a move would reduce home values, provide insufficient buffering of the farm from homes and possibly cause long-term soil contamination.
Wheeler personally paid for the 2,200 “no solar farms” signs that are posted in yards throughout the area, and has 800 more signs going into the ground soon, he said.
He and about 50 residents showed up at a recent township board meeting to express their concerns about solar farms, and board members were responsive.
“We’re responsible to our citizens and we try to represent the people as long is it’s not illegal or unethical,” Township Supervisor James Sheridan said Thursday.
“I believe the feeling of the township was that we’re being overrun by solar panels. They don’t like the looks of them, and they are concerned there could be a long-term, bad effect on the soil,” the supervisor continued. “We’ve already got a lot of them and we don’t want any more.”
The only people who have expressed support for another solar farm, Sheridan said, “are those who think they’re going to get a lot of money for leases (allowing a solar farm on their properties). Most of them are carpetbaggers — they own land here but don’t live here.”
Sheridan said the township’s attorney, from a Grand Rapids law firm, told them they could legally place a moratorium on solar farms, even though currently the township’s zoning and planning authority lies with the county.
He said the township has informed county officials about the moratorium, and so far they have heard no objections from them.
The township has begun going through the state’s process for forming a township planning and zoning commission, Sheridan said. Such a commission would make recommendations on building projects to the township board for final approval, placing zoning and planning decisions in local hands.
Sheridan acknowledged Wheeler’s role in the township’s rule changes.
“Rex is one of our leading citizens and has been very helpful in moving forward with this project,” he said.
Wheeler said: “Our Township Board has been nothing but fully supportive and wonderful through this process.”
Ranger Power did not respond to The Argus-Press’ request for comment Thursday.