photograph by: Adobe Stock
Aerial drone view of photo voltaic panels on a photo voltaic vitality era farm at Sunset in South Wales, UK
Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will probably be requested to take a key vote to formalize their help for a big photo voltaic vitality mission north of North Lawrence.
Commissioners at their weekly assembly will contemplate approving “findings of reality” and formal situations for the Kansas Sky Energy Center mission, which proposes to construct about 8 million sq. ft of photo voltaic panels on about 600 acres of farmland close to the Midland Junction space of northern Douglas County.
The findings of reality and situations are principally technical paperwork that complement the County Commission’s general approval of the mission, which befell as a part of a roughly 10-hour public assembly in April. 13, the place many residents got here to talk in opposition and help. within the photo voltaic mission.
However, the technical findings of reality will probably be necessary in any future lawsuits in opposition to the photo voltaic mission. As reported, a bunch of greater than 20 residents, companies and the governing physique of Grant Township filed a lawsuit in opposition to the county, saying the commissioners violated their very own grant guidelines. mission approval.
Specifically, the lawsuit says the county just isn’t following its complete plan, which locations specific emphasis on defending prime agricultural lands. The photo voltaic plant will occupy a number of acres of prime farmland. The lawsuit argues that the county should first amend its complete plan, if commissioners need to permit a photo voltaic farm to develop within the space.
The findings of reality for the approval of the commissioners acknowledged that the County Commission adopted the great plan, generally known as Plan 2040, when granting a conditional use allow for the photo voltaic mission. The findings say the county’s complete plan as written permits for the approval of a giant, utility-scale photo voltaic mission, even whether it is positioned on useful agricultural land that the plan additionally requires. to guard.
“Plan 2040 is a versatile doc,” the findings of reality learn. “Plan 2040 represents and contains the conflicting values that this specific utility promotes. For instance, the purpose of preserving agriculture and the purpose of preserving the planet for future generations.”
The findings additionally say that commissioners are reluctant to disclaim a mission that has the help of many landowners who’ve agreed to lease their property to photo voltaic mission builders.
“Although it’s zoned agricultural, the proposed photo voltaic use nonetheless honors the values of the neighborhood,” the proposed findings of reality learn. “The fee is reluctant to forestall landowners from leasing land for the aim of renewable vitality. Leaving a liveable planet is necessary to the residents of Douglas County.”
The commissioners can even be requested to formally approve the precise situations the mission should meet earlier than receiving its closing allow. Those situations — which embrace every part from when building exercise can happen throughout a day to the best way to plant and look after crops on the location — are a couple of dozen pages lengthy.
The situations embrace common provisions associated to stormwater administration for the mission, which neighbors have cited as a priority and listed as one other level of violation within the lawsuit in opposition to the county.
In different enterprise, commissioners will maintain a examine session to evaluate the “Adapt Douglas County: A Climate Action and Adaptation Plan” that goals to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions and take different native steps to fight world local weather change. . After a piece session to evaluate the plan, commissioners will probably be requested to approve the plan throughout their common enterprise assembly.
The work session begins at 4 p.m. Wednesday on the county’s public works facility, 3755 E. twenty fifth St. in Lawrence. The enterprise assembly of the province will comply with at 5:30 within the afternoon on the identical place.
