The Montgomery County Planning and Zoning Board approved the rezoning of two different parcels of property from residential to agricultural during a meeting on July 26.

The parcels are part of a proposed 1,100-acre solar farm that is being planned off Highway 161 in Montgomery City. 

Now, the Planning and Zoning Board is looking for the project to get approval from the county commissioners.

Numerous Montgomery County residents packed the county commissioners’ office at the courthouse on July 28 to find out if a solar farm will be built. A total of 37 people attended the 90-minute meeting.

1st District Commissioner Dave Teeter said he, 2nd District Commissioner Doug Lensing and Presiding Commissioner Ryan Poston will spend the next several weeks looking at paperwork that was given by Planning and Zoning Administrator Donna Viehmann before making their decision, which will be in late August.

“Some people said, ‘Well, Dave, I think it’s a done deal. It’s going to be decided and you’re going to rubber stamp it today.’ I said, ‘No, that’s not how this process works.’ We have to look at not only the paperwork we’ve got here, but also the input that we get from other people (at the July 28 meeting),” Teeter said.

If approved, Apex Clean Energy of Charlottesville, Va., will build the solar panels. Viehmann said there is no exact timetable on how long will it take for the solar panels to be installed.

“It could be anywhere from 18 months to two years to maybe three years,” Viehmann said. “We don’t know how long it’s going to take. It depends on how big it is. There’s not a renewable permit on it. I told the companies that if you say it’s going to take you 18 months, then it better take you 18 months. I talked to my attorney, and we can allow it to be renewed one time without having to go through any backsteps.”

The solar farm will be called Wolf Creek Solar. Apex Development Manager Jarrod Beckstrom said the size of the project will be 100 megawatts.

“One hundred megawatts with the contribution agreement will be $2,500 per megawatt per year towards the county,” Beckstrom said. “So that will be a quarter of a million dollars a year that we’re contributing to Montgomery County.”

The Planning and Zoning Board voted 3-1 to approve the rezoning. Teeter said he received several phone calls about the vote.

“I jotted down two main things that I’ve gotten from people,” Teeter said. “No. 1, the property values will be affected and, No. 2, there will be a loss of potential housing development on the edge of town.”

Several people who attended the July 28 meeting were concerned about having a solar farm being built, including Matt Milner. He said the solar farm will completely stop any future growth Montgomery City will have.

“I’m not asking for no solar farms in Montgomery County,” Milner said. “I’m asking for them not to put them right on top of our people who live here. We just need them further away a little bit. I looked at some of the maps and we have a very tiny bit of residential zone around Montgomery City. To take a little bit away is very damaging to residents. It will greatly affect that area.”

Gerald Schulz, who also attended the meeting, said he thinks that building the solar farm will be pretty risky.

“If there’s a fire, is our local fire department equipped to put out a lithium ion fire, which produces toxic inflammable gasses when they burn?” Schulz said. “The quarter of a million dollar payment we have won’t even touch one fire truck to be able to contain an emergency. I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but you always have to look at what ifs and worst case scenarios to be prepared.”