Now
70°
Fri
75°
Sat
75°
by Nick Oudhoff, WSBT 22 Reporter
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — There is a potential setback for a proposal to expand a solar farm near Lakeville.
An appeal has been filed to keep it from happening.
This is an update to a story WSBT 22 first told you about in April, when we first reported that multiple agreements were filed between property owners and Dumont Solar LLC.
This appeal refutes those claims.
An administrative appeal has been filed aiming to prevent Dumont Solar Farm from expanding its boundaries.
The citizen group "No Solar" filed the appeal with the St. Joseph County Board of Zoning.
"If the planning director makes a written determination, you can appeal that determination within 15 days," said Laureen White, Anderson Indiana Attorney.
Attorney Laureen White says Hexagon’s proposal to expand the Dumont Solar Farm near Lakeville should not have been accepted as complete by the St. Joseph County Board of Zoning because, she argues, the application was missing required information.
WSBT 22 confirmed in April that multiple memoranda of understanding were filed between property owners and Dumont Solar LLC but was not disclosed in the original proposal submitted in 2024.
And now, White wants the county to take action.
"We want the BZA [St. Joseph County Board of Zoning Appeals] to say that the application is not complete. We want them to say that those lease agreements for the easements were not filed with the initial application, because we have proof that they were not," said White.
WSBT 22 previously asked St. Joseph County Area Plan Director Shawn Klein about a possible expansion back in April.
At that time, Klein said the county had not received an application to expand the Dumont Solar Project.
On Thursday, WSBT 22 reached back out to the Area Plan Commission for a response to White’s claims.
We were told Klein is out of the office until next Monday.
Lakeville resident Jason Gean says he wants more communication about what residents should expect next.
White says if they're not satisfied with the results made by the St. Joseph County Board of Zoning appeals, they plan to take this appeal to the state courts.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
