Should solar farms ensure 'bucolic' home values? Critics say proposal ignores data centers

He argued that this would protect the “bucolic” nature of areas like rural North Liberty. That area became the center of hotly contested county measures last summer that tightened solar farms restrictions and required a 500-foot buffer from homes.  

The proposed bill comes to the council for a vote at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, in the County-City Building in downtown South Bend.

This time, critics suggest Schaetzle’s bill would unfairly single out solar rather than data centers and other industries. Some suggest it could lead to legal challenges. And solar advocates say the financial burden would shut down any attempts at new solar farms.

The resolution “is a way to protect rural communities from economic loss,” Schaetzle said at the council’s Land Use Planning Committee meeting on June 24. The committee ultimately voted to send the bill to the full council without any recommendation.