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Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 72F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..
Cloudy skies. Low 51F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: April 30, 2026 @ 12:40 am
Bartow County Planning Commission members, from left, Vicki Tate, Chairman Boyd Morris and David Lanham prepare for the April 27 board meeting.
Bartow County Planning Commission members, from left, Richard Fox and Randy Livsey listen during an April 27 public hearing.
Bartow County Planning Commission members, from left, Vicki Tate, Chairman Boyd Morris and David Lanham prepare for the April 27 board meeting.
Bartow County Planning Commission members, from left, Richard Fox and Randy Livsey listen during an April 27 public hearing.
At its April 27 meeting, Bartow County Planning Commission recommended approval of a solar farm off of Hall Station Road.
DG Kingston Farms LLC requested a conditional use permit to the use of a solar generation facility in the A-1, or agricultural, zoning district. The solar farm would be located at 211 Hall Station Road.
“This is a large site, but the footprint of the solar farm is about 25 acres,” said Bartow County Community Development Director Brandon Johnson. “… Appropriate screening and sound barriers would be required if the conditional use is approved.”
Property owner Matt Dahlhauser was the first to speak during the public hearing.
“We tried to screen it so it’s away from any right of ways or other property owners,” Dahlhauser said. “Currently we own about 270 acres there, and we’re trying to do some solar as well. We use the property for recreation and hunting, and we built a house on it and a barn. We use it as our family getaway and retreat.”
Dahlhauser said the family didn’t live there full time, but was there “a good amount.” He said the power generated by the solar farm would be both for his personal use and for resale to Georgia Power.
BCPC Chairman Boyd Morris asked about the elevation and topography of the solar site.
“It’s kind of medium,” Dahlhauser said. “It’s really the only kind of flat spot that we’ve got. Everything to the south is pretty hilly. … We also wanted to get it away from the roads.”
David Friederich spoke in opposition. Friederich is the president of Barnsley Resort. He said that he delivered a “note” to the board before the meeting outlining his concerns.
“Barnsley Resort is formally opposed to this,” Friederich said. “… There are several things that are listed [in the guidelines] that show that this should be a denial as submitted, such as the setbacks.”
Friederich said a barrier was required around the solar field, and was not listed in the plans.
“Renderings, site photography showing sight lines in reference to our property, were not submitted, so it’s kind of hard for you guys to vote on something that you don’t have as a complete application,” Friederich said.
Friederich also alleged the solar farm would disrupt natural habitats.
“We use [nearby land] for hunting grounds and have done so for over a quarter of a century,” Frederich said.
Julian Saul, who owns adjacent property, also opposed the conditional use.
“I own 1,750 acres adjacent, or almost adjacent, to this,” Saul said. “We spent a lot of money to build hunting grounds through the years. I own a third of Barnsley [Resort] and I also still own all of this. We are opposed to this. It just doesn’t fit with us, plus the fact we’ve probably got the highest elevation in the area and it seems to be we’d be looking right down on the solar farm.”
Dahlhauser said he was willing to address any concerns or questions.
“No one reached out to me to say there were questions or concerns,” Dahlhauser said. “From a topology standpoint, I don’t think hunters are viewing down on the property.”
BCPC board member Lourens Vermaas asked Johnson about the requirement for setbacks.
“He shares the property line, because he’s got two parcels,” Johnson said, referring to the fact that part of the solar farm would be on a second parcel of land also owned by Dahlhauser. “So I wouldn’t enforce the setback on himself.”
Johnson looked up the ordinance, which stated a 50-foot setback from the property lines was required for solar generation facilities. The ordinance also mentioned aerial photos and renderings to show there would be no adverse effects on nearby properties. Vegetative buffers may be required to limit the visual impact of the site.
“Some of those items aren’t necessarily required,” Johnson said. “We put the onus on the applicant to demonstrate those things. If the project were to be improved, we would do a thorough review during the land disturbance permit [process] and if you added conditions we would make sure those are reflected.”
The board voted 4-2 to recommend approval of the conditional use, with Morris and Vermaas voting no.
Commissioner Steve Taylor will make a final decision on the permit at the May 13 public commissioner’s meeting, which starts at 10 a.m.
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