Barren County to Consider Solar Farm Ordinance
By Allyson Dix, Managing Editor, Barren County Progress
Barren County Fiscal Court will be considering a proposed ordinance relating to solar energy system installations in Barren County in an upcoming meeting, including a minimum 2,000-foot setback from non-participating landowners.
The ordinance comes on the heels of the years-long planning of a 100-MW solar farm dating back as early as 2018, with private lease agreements between participating landowners and the company, Geenex Solar.
The ordinance, if approved, is not the first action to be taken with regard to solar production farms in the county.
In December 2023, the Joint City-County Planning Commission (JCCPC) approved to grant the Wood Duck Solar project setback variances to include a 20-foot variance to the 20-foot rear yard setback requirement and a 10-foot variance to the 10-foot side yard setback requirements for the interior tract lines of the properties involved with the solar project. According to a staff report from that JCCPC meeting, these setback variances do not apply to properties of adjacent landowners who are not contracted with Geenex for the project.
Then, in April 2024, a resolution accepting JCCPC’s “alternative energy” subdivision plan was passed unanimously by Barren County Fiscal Court Magistrates.
Historically, county-wide zoning has never been implemented in Barren County, and those in attendance at the town hall last week voiced a lack of support for the county to pursue such. In fact, a straw man poll taken from a speaker for the 50 or so individuals present resulted in no one in support of county-wide zoning.
Given the opposition from many neighboring landowners after learning about the project, officials have said that without zoning, the current project could not be halted. Going forward, however, the proposed ordinance may give the county some regulations that future solar power companies would have to abide by.
The proposed ordinance addresses setbacks, screening, and decommissioning requirements, specifically stating a “setback no less than 2,000 feet from any non-participating property line and any right-of-way for a publicly maintained roadway or rail-line.”
One of the items on the proposed ordinance includes the requirement for any construction or enlargement of a large-scale solar energy system to obtain a license, with approval through the JCCPC, to determine whether or not a company meets the requirements of the ordinance.
Other requirements proposed include perimeter access and vegetation, certain imposed fees, regulations on surety bonds for the decommissioning of a project, and give the County Judge/Executive certain powers to act upon any failure by the company in meeting the regulations set forth.
The ordinance is “envisioned to embody more effective measures for the protection and conservation of the county’s natural resource.” It also says the ordinance provides reasonable safeguards which mitigate potential nuisances such as soil erosion, water runoff, large-scale loss of agricultural land, and impacts to local plants and animals, among other things.
It is anticipated this ordinance will be addressed in the Barren County Fiscal Court meeting on April 15.
More information on the county’s current regulations can be found at https://jccpc-ky.com/.
