A potential solar farm development in Christian County now has a very cloudy future.
During Tuesday’s Christian County Fiscal Court meeting, and following more than 90 minutes of citizen’s participation, magistrates unanimously approved to rescind their June 14 resolution directed at Mitsubishi power-venture Oriden — denying what would’ve been an industry revenue bond to the company.
Scripted as a $220 million, 550-acre, 175-megawatt solar farm in the Dogwood community, a September 22 public meeting — coupled with Tuesday’s litany — creates a considerable road block for Oriden.
Doug Kirkman, of Goode Road, said Oriden officials hadn’t been forthright in notifying residents of the coming project.
Brian Burkhead, of Greenville Road, noted that hundreds of people would be impacted by the coming of this project — and mostly negatively: landowners, adjacent landowners, local visitors and travelers, area farmers losing considerable tracts nearby, and future generations who would “have to look at this mess,” and deal with the potential of 35-to-55 year lease options.
Kenneth Tucker, also of Greenville Road, stated this project was “literally” in his backyard — and that he’d seen movement on it for quite some time.
A voice of local, regional and state agriculture, Wayne Hunt added that while solar farming is important to continued growth and ingenuity — something of this scale just didn’t fit Christian County’s profile.
Sherry Noel, another resident of Greenville Road, said late Thursday night discussions with Oriden representatives didn’t bring any peace of mind about the mega-project.
Ben Payne, another Christian County resident, called Oriden’s tactics “nothing more than a cash grab.”
Judge-Executive Steve Tribble, citing former squire and planning commission member Bill Bruce, chimed that perhaps it’s time to create appropriate zoning in the county for such industrial developments.
Magistrates Jerry Gilliam and Phillip Peterson put the motion on the floor for a vote, with Magistrate Rich Leibe adding that the governing body now had “probable cause to do this,” despite original notions to create economic development.
