By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
While Zeeland Township planning commissioners continue to work on creating an ordinance to give the township some local control over large-scale solar energy projects, some residents are speaking out against a proposed $300 million solar farm on agricultural land in the eastern portion of the township and the western portion of neighboring Jamestown Township.
More than 60 residents turned out Sept. 9 for a Planning Commission meeting to object to plans by Texas-based RWE Clean Energy LLC for its proposed 200-megawatt Silver Maple solar facility.
“I never come to these kind of (meetings) and I am fired up,” said Brad DeWeerd, who lives on 48th Avenue. DeWeerd accused the township of not being upfront about the proposed project.
“I’ve talked to numerous neighbors. Nobody knows anything about this. How come this isn’t public knowledge?” DeWeerd asked.
Dan Kerkstra, who lives on 56th Avenue, objected to the use of the word “farm” in the term “solar farm.”
“This is not a farm. It’s industrial,” Kerkstra said. “If it was a farm, we’d have solar seeds, plant them and harvest them. That’s not what’s happening here.”
Kristi Meppelink, who lives on Byron Road, is concerned about the potential loss of farmland. She also wants to know what will happen to the land if and when the solar facility is decommissioned.
“I think there’s a lot of questions on what value there is, for the tradeoff that’s happening in our community,” Meppelink said.
RWE presented preliminary plans for the Silver Maple project at a Planning Commission meeting Aug. 12. The Zeeland Record reported on the presentation in its Aug. 21 edition.
RWE has not yet presented an application to the township for the project, Township Zoning Administrator Lori Castello said.
“I have not seen a map (of where RWE wants to locate the solar facility). I know there is an intention for a project that straddles Jamestown and Zeeland Township. I have not seen any application. We have received nothing in writing, and that’s because there’s no ordinance yet,” Castello said.
The Planning Commission has spent several months working on an ordinance to put some form of local control over large-scale solar energy systems, defined as those producing at least 50 megawatts.
“Their job is to come up with something to provide to the (Township) Board as a recommendation, and say this is the best we think we can do, to … meet everyone in the middle, to allow for this in a way that we’re still going to have some amount of control, but not make it so restrictive that they’re going to skip right over our heads and go to the state,” Castello said. “That doesn’t mean that this board wants it, it doesn’t mean that the Board of Trustees wants it, and it doesn’t mean that they don’t want it.”
The state Legislature passed a statewide clean energy standard in November 2023 that allows utilities and clean energy companies to bypass local municipalities and apply directly to the MPSC for solar projects if they want.
However, RWE would rather work with the township than go directly to MPSC, project manager Joe Brochu said.
“It’s a lot simpler to work locally than it is at the state (level). Our preference is to work with you all … We’re confident we can get there,” Brochu said.
How much acreage the solar farm would cover has not been determined, as RWE has been involved in negotiations with local property owners on lease agreements that would allow the company to build the solar panels on the land.
Commissioners spent close to two hours going over a draft of the solar ordinance at the Sept. 9 meeting and made a few changes. There was considerable debate over whether to keep an initial requirement that would prevent construction of a commercial solar project on any parcel of less than 50 acres, but ultimately, commissioners chose to keep that requirement.
“There’s a whole lot more lots under 50 acres … than there are over 50. If you would eliminate those lots under 50 acres, there are not that many (parcels that are) 50 acres and over that (would qualify under the ordinance),” Commissioner Tim Miedema said.
Any developer wanting to construct a commercial-scale solar energy project in the township would have to get approval of a special land use. Such facilities would only be allowed in the areas zoned for agricultural and industrial use.
Commissioners agreed to require the applicant for the solar energy system to enter into a development agreement with the Township Board after a special land use permit is approved but before construction of the project begins. They also added in a section allowing for “dual use” of a property – having a solar energy system on site in conjunction with land management practices such as creating habitat for pollinators or where livestock could graze on forage.
“(The dual use) might look different on different parcels within a project,” Castello said.
Commissioners changed several items in the draft ordinance to bring it in line with a recently-passed solar ordinance in Jamestown Township. One change reduces the maximum allowable height of all photovoltaic panels from 18 to 16 feet, as measured from the grade below the unit to the highest point of the unit at full tilt. It also set a standard for sound generated from a solar energy system at no more than 55 decibels at the property line of an adjacent lot that is not part of a solar farm or at a road right-of-way, an increase from an earlier proposal to limit sound to 40 decibels.
“The state of Michigan has said, if you’re going to go with a workable ordinance, it’s a really good idea to align yourself somewhat with your neighbors, because that allows that consistency across (township) lines,” Castello said.
The Planning Commission also put in the draft ordinance a requirement that any commercial solar facility must provide an emergency access road to allow the fire department to be able to bring its apparatus on site, and that such a facility have an emergency protocol on file with the township.
Finally, an applicant would have to meet landscaping requirements to limit the visual impact of a solar facility on neighboring residences, with a decision on the type of landscaping depending on the site.
Under Public Act 233, an applicant must hold a public meeting in the township when they apply for approval of a solar energy system. At least 60 days before the meeting takes place, the developer must offer in writing to meet with the local municipality’s chief elected official – in this case, the official would be Township Supervisor Tom Oonk.
The Planning Commission will resume discussions on the draft solar ordinance at its next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Township Hall. If commissioners agree on the ordinance language, they could recommend its passage to the Township Board.
“If (an ordinance) is recommended to the board, then the Township Board will have a first reading, and then they will have a public hearing and a decision that would change the ordinance,” Castello said.
Zeeland Record
While Zeeland Township planning commissioners continue to work on creating an ordinance to give the township some local control over large-scale solar energy projects, some residents are speaking out against a proposed $300 million solar farm on agricultural land in the eastern portion of the township and the western portion of neighboring Jamestown Township.
More than 60 residents turned out Sept. 9 for a Planning Commission meeting to object to plans by Texas-based RWE Clean Energy LLC for its proposed 200-megawatt Silver Maple solar facility.
“I never come to these kind of (meetings) and I am fired up,” said Brad DeWeerd, who lives on 48th Avenue. DeWeerd accused the township of not being upfront about the proposed project.
“I’ve talked to numerous neighbors. Nobody knows anything about this. How come this isn’t public knowledge?” DeWeerd asked.
Dan Kerkstra, who lives on 56th Avenue, objected to the use of the word “farm” in the term “solar farm.”
“This is not a farm. It’s industrial,” Kerkstra said. “If it was a farm, we’d have solar seeds, plant them and harvest them. That’s not what’s happening here.”
Kristi Meppelink, who lives on Byron Road, is concerned about the potential loss of farmland. She also wants to know what will happen to the land if and when the solar facility is decommissioned.
“I think there’s a lot of questions on what value there is, for the tradeoff that’s happening in our community,” Meppelink said.
RWE presented preliminary plans for the Silver Maple project at a Planning Commission meeting Aug. 12. The Zeeland Record reported on the presentation in its Aug. 21 edition.
RWE has not yet presented an application to the township for the project, Township Zoning Administrator Lori Castello said.
“I have not seen a map (of where RWE wants to locate the solar facility). I know there is an intention for a project that straddles Jamestown and Zeeland Township. I have not seen any application. We have received nothing in writing, and that’s because there’s no ordinance yet,” Castello said.
The Planning Commission has spent several months working on an ordinance to put some form of local control over large-scale solar energy systems, defined as those producing at least 50 megawatts.
“Their job is to come up with something to provide to the (Township) Board as a recommendation, and say this is the best we think we can do, to … meet everyone in the middle, to allow for this in a way that we’re still going to have some amount of control, but not make it so restrictive that they’re going to skip right over our heads and go to the state,” Castello said. “That doesn’t mean that this board wants it, it doesn’t mean that the Board of Trustees wants it, and it doesn’t mean that they don’t want it.”
The state Legislature passed a statewide clean energy standard in November 2023 that allows utilities and clean energy companies to bypass local municipalities and apply directly to the MPSC for solar projects if they want.
However, RWE would rather work with the township than go directly to MPSC, project manager Joe Brochu said.
“It’s a lot simpler to work locally than it is at the state (level). Our preference is to work with you all … We’re confident we can get there,” Brochu said.
How much acreage the solar farm would cover has not been determined, as RWE has been involved in negotiations with local property owners on lease agreements that would allow the company to build the solar panels on the land.
Commissioners spent close to two hours going over a draft of the solar ordinance at the Sept. 9 meeting and made a few changes. There was considerable debate over whether to keep an initial requirement that would prevent construction of a commercial solar project on any parcel of less than 50 acres, but ultimately, commissioners chose to keep that requirement.
“There’s a whole lot more lots under 50 acres … than there are over 50. If you would eliminate those lots under 50 acres, there are not that many (parcels that are) 50 acres and over that (would qualify under the ordinance),” Commissioner Tim Miedema said.
Any developer wanting to construct a commercial-scale solar energy project in the township would have to get approval of a special land use. Such facilities would only be allowed in the areas zoned for agricultural and industrial use.
Commissioners agreed to require the applicant for the solar energy system to enter into a development agreement with the Township Board after a special land use permit is approved but before construction of the project begins. They also added in a section allowing for “dual use” of a property – having a solar energy system on site in conjunction with land management practices such as creating habitat for pollinators or where livestock could graze on forage.
“(The dual use) might look different on different parcels within a project,” Castello said.
Commissioners changed several items in the draft ordinance to bring it in line with a recently-passed solar ordinance in Jamestown Township. One change reduces the maximum allowable height of all photovoltaic panels from 18 to 16 feet, as measured from the grade below the unit to the highest point of the unit at full tilt. It also set a standard for sound generated from a solar energy system at no more than 55 decibels at the property line of an adjacent lot that is not part of a solar farm or at a road right-of-way, an increase from an earlier proposal to limit sound to 40 decibels.
“The state of Michigan has said, if you’re going to go with a workable ordinance, it’s a really good idea to align yourself somewhat with your neighbors, because that allows that consistency across (township) lines,” Castello said.
The Planning Commission also put in the draft ordinance a requirement that any commercial solar facility must provide an emergency access road to allow the fire department to be able to bring its apparatus on site, and that such a facility have an emergency protocol on file with the township.
Finally, an applicant would have to meet landscaping requirements to limit the visual impact of a solar facility on neighboring residences, with a decision on the type of landscaping depending on the site.
Under Public Act 233, an applicant must hold a public meeting in the township when they apply for approval of a solar energy system. At least 60 days before the meeting takes place, the developer must offer in writing to meet with the local municipality’s chief elected official – in this case, the official would be Township Supervisor Tom Oonk.
The Planning Commission will resume discussions on the draft solar ordinance at its next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Township Hall. If commissioners agree on the ordinance language, they could recommend its passage to the Township Board.
“If (an ordinance) is recommended to the board, then the Township Board will have a first reading, and then they will have a public hearing and a decision that would change the ordinance,” Castello said.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://www.legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
