7 February 2024
COLWICH, Kan. (KSNW) – A six-month ban on commercial solar projects in Sedgwick County expires in March. County Commissioners are looking into what needs to change before projects get the green light.
The Advanced Plans Committee of the Sedgwick County Planning Department did not recommend changing much when it came to the process of getting a conditional use permit for commercial solar. However, Sedgwick County Commissioner David Dennis raised some red flags during Tuesday morning’s meeting.
“Up to this point, we really haven’t given any guidance on what we think ought to go into it,” said Dennis.
Currently, there are no size restrictions on solar projects. Dennis said that has to change.
“I disagree that there should be no size. We need to come up with a size that’s manageable, and 640 acres is exactly one square mile, and if you put solar panels on one square mile, that’s a pretty good-sized solar project,” said Dennis.
Invenergy plans to file for a conditional use permit to build solar panels that would cover 750 acres of unincorporated land in Sedgwick County between Colwich and Maize.
Mary Bosch has lived across from the proposed site for 35 years and has concerns.
“I have a lot of acreage across the road from my house, and I personally feel like it’s going to hurt the value of my home and my property, and that’s a big issue for us,” said Bosch.
Other Sedgwick County residents said that not allowing commercial solar to move in would drive economic growth elsewhere.
“To make a tremendous difference, not only to our own citizens, but our industry, our homes, our ways of business, and if we cut ourselves off by saying I don’t want it in my backyard, then we’ve just shot ourselves in the foot,” said Walt Chappell, a solar advocate and Sedgwick County resident.
Other issues raised at Tuesday’s meeting involved setback distances. This involves how far away solar panels sit from roadways as well as homes. Also, with the potential contracts being decades-long, many attending the meeting had questions about who was responsible for decommissioning the project in the future.
The Advanced Plans Committee of the MAPC will meet later in the week to discuss the commission’s concerns. The MAPC will then bring a final list of recommended changes to the conditional use process to the county commission on March 6.
The plan is to have final approval before the moratorium expires on March 20. There will be several more meetings in the month of February for public input.