Solar farm opposition drives Stockton to historic zoning vote

Joyce Overstreet has overheard the conversations for the past several months inside her Stagecoach Café, and the overwhelming talk in Stockton is about solar farms.

But even she isn’t sure the residents in this unincorporated North Baldwin County community will be willing to vote for zoning.

“It will be mixed,” said Overstreet, the owner of the eatery featuring a buffet shaped – appropriately – as a stagecoach. “There are those who say, ‘no zoning. Someone will be telling us what to do with our land.’”

County action

Still, more than enough signatures were gathered in a short time frame to push the issue that stems from outrage over the sudden revelation that Nashville-based Silicon Ranch wants to build a $350 million, 2,000-acre solar farm on acreage near the community.

The Baldwin County Commission, on Tuesday, approved the certification to allow for a zoning referendum to go before the voters of Stockton likely on June 30.

“It’s a citizen driven process,” said Baldwin County Commissioner Jeb Ball, who represents the rural northern areas of the fast-growing county that includes Stockton. “The citizens of that community came together and did what they had to do to get the zoning in the referendum.”

The certification was voted on the same day that the Baldwin County Commission also rescinded a previous contract to hire Jacobs Engineering to oversee the application for the solar farm. That decision to rescind the vote occurred after residents raised concerns that the engineering firm, which maintains an office in Pensacola, had previous ties to the solar industry.

“That is a huge relief,” said Meagan Fowler, a representative of the citizens group opposed to the project’s development over concerns about runoff and damages to sensitive wildlife in the nearby Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

Baldwin County Engineer Frank Lundy said if an application for the Silicon Ranch site emerges – or with any other solar development – the county will “lean on its normal protocols” which includes oversight from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. EPA.

“There were rumors that there may be ties to solar industry,” Lundy said. “However, with a firm that large, they do have knowledge of large-scale solar projects which is why we wanted to bring someone on with that experience. But we don’t need them right now. We have not received an application.”

The county commission’s activity coincides with several solar-related developments this week. A public hearing involving Silicon Ranch will take place starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the John R. Rhodes Civic Center. It’s the first time the company will be physically present before residents in North Baldwin County to explain their project.

The Alabama Legislature is also taking up legislation this week that could either put a one-year moratorium on new solar farm developments, or give county commissioners in Baldwin and Mobile counties more authority in regulating them.

The Alabama Senate, on Tuesday afternoon, approved the moratorium legislation to mostly include Mobile and Baldwin counties only. It now moves on to the Alabama House for further consideration with only two days -- Wednesday and Thursday -- remaining in the spring legislative session.

Stockton issue, Stockton vote

For now, the authority over how to proceed with the project could rest with the votes in Stockton. The petition for a zoning referendum – while not unusual for Baldwin County – is a bit of a rarity for unincorporated areas long accustomed to not worrying about adhering to local government controls.

“I want the people who are listening to be careful what you ask for,” Commissioner Matt McKenzie said during the commission meeting. “Once it gets zoned, it’s a double edge sword.”

Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood said the issue is completely up to the residents living within the area. However, while she said she generally supports zoning in high-growth areas, she said the overall issue is not an easy one in a state that she says values “property rights.”

“This state is not set up for home rule in counties,” Underwood said. “It is something that is not a simple topic. It’s a serious situation when you have to make decisions in a county like ours that is growing so fast that it doesn’t always need (to face) a knee-jerk reaction. (Instituting zoning) is a forever thing. It’s a decision you make now that will affect land use going forward.”

Fowler said zoning is something she believes the publicly overwhelmingly wants to see. The petition for the referendum led to 176 signatures, which Fowler said were gathered within 24 hours.

“We turned in far more than what was required of us,” Fowler said. A referendum is triggered if 10% of qualified electors within the planning district sign the petition for the election. In Stockton’s case, which was around 124 required signatures.

“I think that is indicative that the community really wants this,” she said. “They do not want to become a town of industrial solar.”