By JONATHAN SNYDER
In anticipation of a large audience, the Wells County Area Plan Commission will host its March 7 meeting in a new location to discuss a petition from Paddlefish Solar.
This petition requests overlaying 49 parcels of land south of Liberty Center Township and north of Southern Wells Community Schools with a P-1 zoning layer. These parcels sit between county roads South 600 West and South 400 West, just north of Ind. 218. The APC will meet at 6 p.m. in the Wells County 4-H Park expo hall.
The requested zoning layer allows large-scale electric power plants to be developed on the parcel of land. The Wells County Zoning Ordinance does not allow areas to be rezoned only for a power plant; it only allows for an additional layer.
“Many of the properties will retain parts of the property that will be undeveloped,” said Mike Lautzenheiser, APC executive director. “The lease only includes the parts that they (Paddlefish Solar) are actually developing.”
Wells County approved agreements with Paddlefish Solar in December regarding decommissioning solar equipment and road use. This zoning layer is the next step prior to approval of a development plan. The exact location and the logistics of how the solar panels will be installed are not yet known.
On Feb. 1, the Area Plan Commission took time to review zoning procedures. This included an emphasis on five compliance terms — paying regard to the comprehensive plan for Wells County, the current conditions of the land, the most desirable use for the land, how any rezoning will affect the property values of the land, and how any development will help the county grow.
“This is (reviewing) the bigger picture, and it’s based off of the review of the five compliance terms,” said Lautzenheiser. “It is a discussion about the merits of the project compared to the five items that we will be reviewing if off of.”
Lautzenheiser also stressed that the financial ability of the petitioner, any political agendas and procedures, and the current owners of the land will not be considered in the rezoning decision.
The meeting on March 7 will solely be about whether or not the land meets the requirements to have the rezoning layer. Lautzenheiser noted that the guidelines are different than the ones used when the development plan is presented. For example, things like setbacks and screening or how the project will be built are not considered until the development plan is presented, according to Lautzenheiser.
The March 7 meeting will only have the rezoning issue and no other items, which allows time for public comment. Each person’s time will be limited, however. The board stressed that people should avoid going in line multiple times for comments to allow everyone to have their say.
Lautzenheiser also stated that the information gathered by the APC office, which includes the petition itself, is all available to the public for review.
“We’d be glad to answer email questions, phone call questions,” said Lautzenheiser. “We’d like to have those conversations and provide that information to them between now and (March 7).”
jonathan@news-banner.com
