Dearborn Co. Plan Commission Recommends 12-Month Moratorium on Solar Farms

Almost 200 residents were in attendance at Monday's meeting at South Dearborn HS.

Plan Commission members Russell Beiersdorfer, Joe Vogel, President Dennis Kraus, Jr, Eric Lang. Photo by Cheryl Damon-Greiner.

(Aurora, Ind.) - On Monday night, February 23, the Dearborn County Plan Commission held their meeting at South Dearborn High School to hear from speakers and the general public concerning placing a 12-month moratorium on the processing of applications for commercial solar farms and battery storage facilities under Article 19 of the Dearborn County Zoning Ordinance.

The Planning and Zoning Office have not received a commercial solar application as of this date, yet there were hundreds of people in attendance to learn more and to express their concerns.

Article 19 was written in 2021 in anticipation of applications for commercial solar farms to be built on leased farmland in Dearborn County. The requirements that were outlined include buffer and set-back zones, noise, safety and security, wildlife and environmental protection, road infrastructure protection, abandonment and decommissioning, among other protections. The moratorium is being requested now by groups and individuals who want the county to take time to study the need and feasibility of more stringent and detailed requirements that can be added into Article 19 before applications for commercial solar farms can be processed.

Comments at the meeting were received from a pro-moratorium community group, from a representative from Linea Energy that wants to develop solar and battery storage on 1,000 acres in the Manchester area, and from individuals ranging in age from 13 to 67 years. The views of the speakers included concern for the environment, fear of lower property values, loss of an agricultural setting for homeowners, as well as some expressing frustration with having restrictions on how landowners can lease their property.

After almost three hours of listening to input from speakers, the commission members voted for a recommendation to extend the moratorium to 12 months for solar farms, battery storage and data centers while they studied any changes to Article 19.

The Dearborn County Commission will meet at a special meeting on Tuesday, February 24 at 6 p.m. at the Dearborn County Government Center to vote on the recommendation.