A site map submitted as a part of OneEnergy’s CUP application to the village, showing where the 30-acre solar array would rest on the land.
An image of the solar array installed by OneEnergy in Wisconsin as a part of the ‘Butter Solar’ project in 2019, the state’s single largest solar project at the time.
Waunakee Village Board voted to postpone action on a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a 30-acre solar farm off of Kennedy Drive following a public hearing at the board’s Tuesday, Oct. 6, meeting.
The decision was agreed upon by village trustees, and recommended by staff, following roughly three hours of resident comments and board discussion.
The Six Mile Solar Project would occupy 30 of the 112 acres that comprise the site resting just south of the Savannah Village neighborhood.
The project developer, OneEnergy Renewables plans to construct an array of photovoltaic panels that would rotate with the location of the sun throughout the day.
The 6-Megawatt solar generation facility would produce enough energy to serve nearly 1,600 homes, the employee-owned, public benefit corporation’s CUP application stated.
In total eight individuals registered in favor of the project for Oct. 6’s public hearing. Another 41 people registered in opposition, many of whom shared their reasoning with the board.
While the public hearing was relatively civil, the audience was reminded to keep the emotional charge out of their remarks and stopped from talking out of turn several times.
Objections were not in relation to solar energy generation, but more so the project’s location and its current and future fit into the identity of Waunakee.
A site map submitted as a part of OneEnergy’s CUP application to the village, showing where the 30-acre solar array would rest on the land.
In some places, the facility would be roughly 350 feet from existing homes in Savannah Village. Nearby residents expressed their concerns on Oct. 6.
“Allowing this project to move forward would only erode the property values, but also undermine the public interest and trust that has set precedent for future land use development,” said resident Jim Krafcheck.
The Oct. 6 presentation made by OneEnergy’s Nolan Stumpf and Eric Udelhofen cited studies that stated similar projects had minimal effects on surrounding property values.
Residents responded during public comment by saying certain statistics were cherrypicked, and that homes with direct views of solar facilities are negatively impacted.
Other Waunakee residents further questioned whether the proposed solar project would fit current and future land uses.
“The way the Comprehensive Plan’s laid out, it’s supposed to remain agriculture or open land through 2035… There’s no precedent in Waunakee for this,” resident Phillip Gantz said.
The parcel is currently zoned for A-1 agricultural use. “Utilities facilities & substations” are considered a conditional use for the zoning distinction in the village’s code of ordinances. Community Development Director Lauren Freeman said the parcel would not need to be rezoned.
Several Waunakeeans who came to speak mentioned the development going against the growth that they believed the village was looking for when they moved within its borders.
Some resident and village board trustee concerns centered around the project’s impact on wildlife and the wetlands that rest on the site.
The pair of OneEnergy employees reasoned that in their team’s experience, solar facilities can be beneficial to local wildlife movement. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has also certified OneEnergy’s wetland delineation plan, according to Udelhofen.
He stated that OneEnergy’s facilities are built to be deconstructed once they reach the end of their lifespan. The company also seeds native prairie grasses and plants under their panels, and partners with local farmers to have sheep graze the fields.
An image of the solar array installed by OneEnergy in Wisconsin as a part of the ‘Butter Solar’ project in 2019, the state’s single largest solar project at the time.
OneEnergy aims to operate so that their sites can be eventually returned to agricultural uses if the landowner wishes to, according to Stumpf. Leaving the land unfarmed for several decades can also revitalize its nutrient contents.
“Many municipalities and other jurisdictions view solar as a temporary use to keep land able to be returned to agriculture and ultimately it’s a farmland preservation technique rather than being something adversarial to that,” Udelhofen said.
The future of the land, and who owns it, was one question that several village trustees shared.
Madison Gas & Electric (MG&E) recently purchased the parcel, and two others adjacent to it, from the Kennedy family. Udelhofen stated that OneEnergy had been working directly with the Kennedy family prior to MG&E’s purchase.
Some residents who spoke on Oct. 6 expressed reservations about the possibility of additional project phases in future years.
Udelhofen said that OneEnergy is not aware of any future plans for the property.
“I would like to get some sort of additional information from them (MG&E). What are they planning to do with the rest that they’ve purchased?” Waunakee Trustee Joe Zitzelsberger said.
Trustees Chris Zellner and Jack Heinemann also noted that they felt conflicted about allowing a power generating development that wouldn’t serve Waunakee Utilities onto the site. Both tied the concern to the project’s broader connection to the village’s future and make-up.
“I’m having a philosophical challenge because we own a utility in our community that provides electricity to our residents,” Zellner said.
Stumpf stated that the village would receive roughly $17,000 annually through utility aid payments required for this type of project.
The pair of OneEnergy representatives touched on why they selected the Kennedy farmland for the project in their initial presentation.
The corporation searches for sites near substations that serve large electrical loads. By doing so, OneEnergy aims to distribute electricity to serve customers near their facilities and increase efficiency of regional power grids.
OneEnergy’s Madison-based team stated they have constructed 55 projects in the Midwest since 2009, 39 of which are in Wisconsin.
When asked about the history of pushback in other communities, Udelhofen was realistic.
“It’s very rare for us to have situations where it’s all hunky dory,” he said.
Udelhofen continued to say he understood where the alarm comes from if someone is unfamiliar with the technology: how it sounds, looks or operates. He invited interested residents to reach out for tours of nearby facilities in Fitchburg if they would like to walk the grounds.
“We’ve always been able to reach a situation where there’s a favorable outcome, that we have conditions that we can agree to and the community can agree to,” Udelhofen said.
Finding ways to minimize the visual impact of the property for neighbors was one such condition mentioned in the discussion.
Following the board’s decision to postpone action on OneEnergy’s CUP, village staff will have a chance to answer the questions posed on Oct. 6 and get legal counsel up to speed.
The approval process will be complicated for this project. The land falls within the Joint Planning Area with the Town of Westport, which is also pursuing village incorporation at the moment.
In addition to the village’s typical standards for CUP approval, Wisconsin state statutes also limit the reasons a municipality can reject a CUP application for solar projects.
Village Administrator Todd Schmidt estimated that it could take staff three to four weeks to provide the board with the information needed to make a decision. Yet he had a positive outlook on how the community and their elected officials are engaging on the topic.
“Frankly, I see things working the way they’re supposed to in the process,” Schmidt said on Oct. 6.
The Waunakee Village Board has scheduled a public hearing on Oct. 6 to consider a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Six Mile Solar Project, a 3…
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