The Montgomery County Advisory Plan Commission voted Tuesday to table its decision on the Copper Box Solar rezoning petition for one week after another three-hour public hearing drew residents, farmers, proponents and opponents of the proposed solar farm.
The commission will decide at 4 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Montgomery County Government Center whether to send the petition to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners with a favorable, unfavorable or no recommendation.
The petition seeks to rezone 17 parcels in southern Madison Township and northern Union Township from agricultural to agricultural overlay. If approved, Copper Box Solar intends to develop a commercial solar energy system across approximately 2,620 acres, with up to 825 acres containing solar panels or related equipment.
The petition is a revised version of a request Copper Box Solar withdrew in March after the plan commission voted 6-2 to send the petition to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners with an unfavorable recommendation.
Copper Box Solar lead project developer Tom Schoder told the commission the company made changes based largely on feedback received during and after the previous public hearing.
“We reduced impacts,” Schoder said, pointing to increased residential setbacks for solar panels, the project substation and construction staging area.
The company also added about two miles of vegetative landscaping near residential areas, which Schoder said goes beyond what is required by the county’s ordinance. The revised proposal also includes photo simulations intended to show residents what the project would look like once operational.
Schoder said the company also moved the project substation farther east and increased the distance between nearby homes and solar panels. In some locations, he said, the nearest panels would be at least two football fields from homes, with some of the setback areas remaining available for farming.
The proposed project also would provide a larger estimated financial benefit to the county than previously projected.
Schoder said the company previously estimated about $20 million in tax payments over the life of the project. That estimate has now increased to more than $45 million following changes in state law.
County Administrator Tom Klein told the commission the county had received 14 written comments supporting the project and 46 opposing it.
County staff, however, recommended the commission give the rezoning request an unfavorable recommendation.
Klein said staff found the proposal inconsistent with the county’s 2024 comprehensive plan, which identifies industrial solar as an undesirable land use and calls for policies discouraging large industrial solar farms.
Staff cited the project’s scale, the loss of agricultural land and the county’s goal of preserving productive farmland, saying the project would substantially change the area for its estimated 30-year lifespan. The analysis found mixed evidence on property values, with Copper Box submitting a study showing no negative impact while residents have raised concerns about declining values. While the project is expected to increase property tax collections without significantly affecting public infrastructure, the analysis said those financial benefits alone should not determine the rezoning.
Ultimately, if commission chooses to recommend approval, staff proposed conditions including limiting solar panels and equipment to no more than 825 acres, requiring compliance with the submitted development plan and landscaping standards and requiring approval of a fire control plan by the local fire chief.
During public comment, supporters continued to focus on property rights, economic benefits and the county’s growing energy needs.
John Smilie of Crawfordsville, a board member of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, argued the project aligns with many of the comprehensive plan’s broader goals, including economic development, infrastructure investment, natural resource protection and community well-being.
Smilie said the project would provide additional income for participating landowners and revenue for the county while adding native vegetation and potentially increasing pollinator and wildlife habitat. He also argued that solar development could help diversify the county’s energy production and provide an alternative to fossil fuel generation.
Much of the opposition centered on the loss of agricultural land, potential impacts on neighboring property values, wildlife and safety.
Nancy Grimes of Crawfordsville said residents living next to the proposed solar farm should have more say in the matter.
“People who live adjacent to these solar panels are greatly distressed since they have no say in their installation and also, contrary to what’s been stated, will also suffer great loss of their property values,” Grimes said.
Other opponents questioned the potential effect of fencing and solar equipment on wildlife and raised concerns about possible fires or equipment failures.
Schoder said the company plans to work with local first responders and provide annual training. He said the project would have a full-time operations staff and detailed emergency plans would be developed with county first responders.
Brittany Fitzgerald of Crawfordsville, who said she moved to Montgomery County about two years ago, said opponents are concerned about the project’s effects on their families and surrounding properties.
“We’re concerned about our health, our animals, our kids, our wildlife, our neighbors,” Fitzgerald said. “Everyone keeps saying property values aren’t affected, but if this was here, I wouldn’t live here. If it comes here, I will sell.”
