MARION TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — If you drive through Marion Township and neighboring townships, you'll see signs expressing opposition toward utility companies installing solar panels en masse on farmland.
Marion Township Supervisor Bob Hanvey said he and other board members are looking to adopt a zoning ordinance that would allow a private land owner to lease their land to a utility company to install solar panels.
“There’s been classes on it at the Michigan Township Association meetings we’ve gone to, and we’ve just heard things about it. We thought it would be useful to have an ordinance in place before somebody actually came and applied," he told 7 Action News.
Hanvey said amending the zoning ordinance is preemptive. However, in a community of about 12,000 people, there have been concerns from community members about the short- and long-term impacts installing solar panels on farmland would have on the environment, including well-water, wildlife, noise concerns and the list goes on.
“We’ve tried to deal with them as they’ve seemed reasonable. One of the main concerns is that they’re ugly, for example. So, the ordinance contains provisions for screening around the border of the property, so they won’t be visible for the road," Hanvey explained.
Erin Hamilton, a concerned resident, told 7 Action News, “The ordinance as it stands right now is very flimsy. It doesn’t protect the township from much at all. All it really says is, well, here’s 200 acres you could use if you fill out the paperwork.”
Hamilton said she’s for solar energy, but she's for it to be done responsibly and not en masse on farmland by utility companies.
She wants a 12-month moratorium that would allow the township more time to figure out what’s best.
She explained, “When you install those solar panels on agricultural land, there are drainage systems underneath all those fields and they’re about 3 to 4 feet down is the average. So, when you install those solar panels, they drill between 5 and 20 feet down into the ground and they break through those drainage systems and when that happens, you get standing water coming up and nothing can drain.”
Hamilton said high-pitch and low-pitch frequencies are also a concern for residents' quality of life and the threat of driving out wildlife.
There have been several meetings where the solar panel ordinance has been raised. 7 Actions News learned the board did not vote on the proposed zoning ordinance during a meeting at Parker Middle School Wednesday evening.
