FAYETTE TWP., MI – A fire two years ago destroyed Elizabeth Mann’s home on East Ball Road, southeast of Jonesville.
When she and her husband learned they were underinsured and could not replace the 100-year-old farmhouse, they found a home elsewhere and vowed to eventually rebuild on the five empty acres.
Now, she said, she isn’t so sure.
A proposed solar farm would be in her front yard, where cows now graze. When she learned this, she cried.
“It’s like losing my home twice,” Mann, 54, told the Fayette Township board Monday, Feb. 16, at Jonesville High School.
She and about 100 others gathered at the high school for the latest of several meetings attracting large crowds of opposition to Heartwood Solar II, a possible 140-megawatt project that would put solar panels on about 1,000 fenced acres east of Jonesville. This is in addition to the first utility-scale Heartwood Solar project under construction in the area of Bunn and Jonesville roads, west of Jonesville.
The township board on Monday asked the planning commission to review a proposed compatible renewable energy ordinance, have a public hearing and submit a recommendation to the board “as soon as practical.”
All three participating members voted to take action on the ordinance. Township Supervisor Nate Baker recused himself because his father Dale, a farmer, has agreed to lease property to the project developer, Ranger Power. The township clerk resigned earlier this year and the fifth spot on the board is vacant.
Such an ordinance, which cannot have more restrictive requirements than a 2023 state statute outlines, would ensure the local government reviews the project.
Without it, Ranger Power could bypass local authority and take their proposal directly to the Michigan Public Service Commission, as allowed by the new law, passed by Democrats and intended to accelerate renewable energy development to meet targets for swiftly increasing carbon-free power sources.
Ranger Power, based in Chicago, earlier submitted an application for a special use permit in the township, but in a letter received Feb. 6 gave the township supervisor 30 days to let the company know whether it has adopted a compatible renewable energy ordinance, signaling it would otherwise seek state approval.
The two projects represent what would be a combined investment of about $300 million and when completed, they would generate millions in property taxes, Ranger Power has said.
Planning commissioners have not acted on the latest proposal. Acting Chairperson Jane Munson said the commission is yet to even look at it.
A date for the public hearing has not yet been set. Notice must be printed at least 15 days ahead of the hearing so officials will have to wait at least as long.
Last week, the township board, responding to resident calls for competent, independent counsel, voted to hire a Portage law firm to advise them on zoning regulation.
Steve Oleszkowicz, leading the opposition and maintaining the website nosolarfayette.com, has pushed for the ordinance, which he believes best positions the township against the influx of solar projects.
He and others see them as a threat to the community and its rural aesthetic.
Oleszkowicz understands the appeal to farmers who have decided to enter into lease agreements with Ranger Power. One of them, Dale Baker, called it a “no brainer” as costs of farming increase and profits do not keep pace.
“Property rights end where harm to others begin,” Oleszkowicz said.
He thinks, based on studies he’s reviewed, his property, bordering a portion of Heartwood Solar II, could take a $100,000 hit in property value.
Ranger Power has said studies looking at other Midwest or Michigan projects have not shown property value impacts.
Chester Briner, using stronger language, said such a contention is nonsense. “And I think that ought to reflect on our tax assessment,” he told the board.
He lives on North Adams Road and said solar panels will wrap around his property.
“I don’t know what you guys can do, but something needs to be done. I don’t want to lose the animals we see. Like I said, we see eagles all the time,” he said.
“I just can’t believe the eagles are going to be around here when we have solar panels on 800, 900 acres of property.”
Under Public Act 233, applicants must consider and address impacts to the environment and natural resources, including sensitive habitats and waterways, wetlands, wildlife corridors, and threatened or endangered species, the law states.
A Ranger Power representative, when earlier asked about resident’s aesthetic concerns, said the company does its best to make sure projects are “compatible with agricultural uses.” The fencing is similar to a cattle enclosure, and vegetative screens, typically evergreen trees or shrubs, are available for those who want them.
Danielle Salisbury is editor at The Ann Arbor News and the Jackson Citizen Patriot. She worked from 2007 to 2018 as a public safety reporter in Jackson, where she received multiple awards for her enterprise and… more
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