At this point, a solar farm will not be coming to Putnam County.
By a 2-1 vote Monday morning, the Putnam County Commissioners voted not to rezone 1,200 acres of land in Russell Township to make way for the proposed Cold Spring Solar Farm.
After extensive discussion, District 1 Commissioner David Berry, who represents the affected area, made the motion to deny, citing a previous decision by the Area Plan Commission.
“Leave it like it is,” Berry said. “That was the plan commission’s recommendation.”
District 3 Commissioner Tom Helmer seconded the vote, also citing the decision of the APC.
District 2 Commissioner Rick Woodall cast the dissenting vote.
Ultimately, the commissioners heeded the advice of the APC, as well as Russell Township farmer Dale McGaughey, who has been to most meetings on the matter dating back to 2022, consistently expressing his opposition.
“I hope you will keep in mind that you all had a clear recommendation from the Plan Commission, a diverse group of citizens who advise you. Remember that they sent you a clear message,” McGaughey said.
To this point, the matter had met with a mixed reception from county officials.
On the one hand, back in December 2022, the Putnam County Council approved a 10-year abatement on the solar equipment to be installed. Additionally, the Putnam County Commissioners also reached agreement with Arevon on an estimated $6 million economic development agreement, a decommissioning agreement and a road use agreement.
On the other, Arevon requests have met with negative votes from both the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and Area Plan Commission (APC).
In September, the BZA denied a special exception request for the land by a count of 5-1.
However, a new unified development ordinance took effect on Jan. 1, changing the necessary action from a special exception to a rezone. This put the ball in the court of the APC, which denied the request in February.
However, the APC is only advisory in nature, with all final decisions left to the commissioners.