Houston County BOC Denies 4,700-Acre Solar Farm

Adobe Stock image/ By Soonthorn

The Houston County Board of Commissioners recently disapproved an application that would have allowed Silicon Ranch solar company to place panels on a 4,700-acre tract adjacent to Oaky Woods WMA. Citing quality of living, property values, Georgia lawsuits against Silicon Ranch and wildlife habitat, the board unanimously voted against adding a solar farm to the landscape.

Before the vote, Gail Robinson, Houston County Commissioner for Post 3, said, “Based on the information we have heard today from both sides, I think there is cause to be concerned about the lawsuits in these other Georgia counties. I don’t know that I have heard enough at this point to make me comfortable with the ramifications as far as what is going to happen with a solar farm there. I do think, of course, we all strongly believe in private property rights, and what may end up happening to this land is very important. The solar farm has made tremendous effort in making this land use adjacent to the Wildlife Management Area accessible. I think there is a ways to go to make it where the county and the people in the county would be satisfied that these two—the Wildlife Management Area and the solar farm—would be compatible. It is part of our land-use regulation that it should not adversely impact the surrounding area. I don’t believe I can say this will not adversely impact the surrounding area. Not to mention the black bear habitat, but as well as the native flora, other species, the river, the creeks, the quality of our water. Given this information just based on what I have heard today at this point, I am going to make a motion to disapprove…”

The denial has concerned citizens breathing a sign of relief; however, it may not be the last time the Houston County Board of Commissioners hears from Silicon Ranch or finds themselves in solar farm discussions.

“They (Silicon Ranch) can bring back the petition in one year,” said John Trussell, vice chairman of the Houston County Board Of Zoning Appeals. “Our goal is to negotiate with the owners and permanently preserve the property for the bears and all the wildlife.”

Trussell, a hunter, has been a public spokesman in the protection of the small central Georgia bear population. He counts the Board’s denial as a short-term victory with much more work ahead to ensure the protection of wildlife and Oaky Woods WMA.

“We did a tremendous amount of ground work and gave the commissioners a lot of supportive testimony, including an excellent PowerPoint presentation from Ben Carr, UGA bear researcher.

“The Houston County Commissioners showed courage and foresight in denying the solar application due to serious concerns about large habitat losses for the small bear population and all other important wildlife. The commission was also concerned about a lawsuit that was filed in Stewart County that awarded a large financial judgment against the Silicon Ranch company. Fletcher Sams, with the Altamaha River Keeper, also reported that another Silicon Ranch project in Toombs County has had serious erosion issues, thus he said the management practices for solar projects are clearly not working and needs revision.”

Trussell’s goal would be that the 4,700-acre tract would never become a solar farm, or a shopping mall, hotels or houses.

GON published the below story on Aug. 30, 2024

A 4,700-acre swath of property adjacent to Oaky Woods WMA in Houston County is being eyed by the Silicon Ranch solar company as Georgia’s next solar panel farm. However, citing wildlife and location concerns, the Houston County Board Of Zoning Appeals recently voted not to recommend the solar project for approval to the Houston County Board of Commissioners (BOC) — the entity that will have the ultimate say-so on the project. The Houston County BOC meets next on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 9 a.m. at the County Courthouse in Perry at 201 Perry Pkwy., Perry, GA, 31069.

“The Board Of Zoning Appeals is a recommending board to the Houston County Commissioners, thus it serves as the ears and eyes of the community to assess and communicate public input to the county commissioners,” said John Trussell, vice chairman of the Board Of Zoning Appeals.

With an increasing need for power, the growth and location of solar farms in Georgia will continue to be a topic in coming decades. However, Trussell reports that 25 people spoke against the project, while just two spoke for it—a Silicon Ranch employee and one of the Houston County landowners who owns one of the properties south of Oaky Woods WMA that would be sold and converted into the solar farm.

“Clearly, the public outcry against the solar project was very evident with a packed room on Monday, Aug. 26 with people spilling out into the hallway in opposition to the project,” said Trussell. “In the past, the commissioners have agreed with the Board of Zoning Appeals in the vast majority of cases, but they are not bound by their decision on petitions. They can approve, disapprove, delay or send the petition back to the Zoning Appeals Board for further consideration.”

The 4,700-acre block of land being discussed for a solar farm, which has been named “Robins Solar Farm,” is south of Oaky Woods WMA, running across Kovac Road and down to Big Indian Creek. If the solar farm is approved by the Houston County BOC, not all of the land would include fencing and solar panels.

“More than half of that land (over 2,500 acres) would remain unfenced and undeveloped, allowing wildlife, such as the local bear population, to inhabit the area and move through freely. It (over 2,500 acres), will be preserved in partnership with conservation experts, including bear researchers; 700 of the acres preserved are wetlands,” said Rob Hamilton, Silicon Ranch’s director of corporate communications.

The biggest question mark amongst the wildlife crowd is how does a solar farm of this size and in this location of the state affect an already-sensitive central Georgia bear population, which is currently estimated at just 300 to 400 animals.

“The loss of bear habitat in central Georgia, for any purpose, is concerning,” said WRD Biologist Bobby Bond. “The loss of 4,000-plus acres of prime habitat in an area where habitat is limited and where bears have already begun showing signs of genetic inbreeding and malformations, further exacerbates the problem. Current and previous research studies conducted through the University of Georgia have documented these issues.”

WRD’s Strategic Management Plan for Black Bears in Georgia (2019-2028) highlighted concerns about the continued loss of habitat in central Georgia and the associated low genetic diversity known to exist within this population

“The Bear Management Plan identified objectives and strategies to help in the long-term,” said Bond. “Anything that further complicates genetic connectivity issues or further reduces available habitat for our smallest and most isolated population of bears within the state, should be cause for concern.”

Whether 4,700 acres is turned into a solar farm now, a shopping mall in 10 years or is left wooded for the next generation will likely play big for the future of the central Georgia black bears.

Bond continues, “How much habitat loss is too much for the central Georgia bear population or what level of habitat loss is acceptable for central Georgia bears? These are tough questions to answer, but the impact of today’s decisions regarding management actions are important and likely to impact bear populations in central Georgia for decades to come.”

While considering a small bear population may be a first for Silicon Ranch, they have started building a history of working with groups who have wildlife concerns.

“Before beginning construction on our Ailey Solar Farm in Montgomery County, Georgia, we worked with local biologists and The University of Georgia to identify the location of the gopher tortoise burrows in the area. This allowed our construction team to work around the tortoise habitat until we could safely relocate these animals to our Gopher Tortoise Sanctuary in Clay County,” said Hamilton.

“We have seen a measurable increase in bobwhite quail populations at our Hazlehurst projects in Jeff Davis County, Georgia where the previous regime of intensive tillage and herbicide use for cotton-peanut-corn farms damaged bobwhite quail populations over the past 80 years. With a transition to zero soil disturbance after construction, perennial vegetation, and properly timed mowing events, these solar projects create bird habitat where bobwhite quail and other wildlife thrive.”

While mowing is a practice on solar farms, Silicon Ranch has their own flock of sheep—and hired in-house shepherds—that graze some of their solar farm properties.

“Where appropriate, we incorporate regenerative sheep grazing as an alternative to frequent mowing and pesticide use to manage vegetation under and around our solar panels. To help grow our company-owned flock, we then became the first solar company to build a lambing barn. The 26,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility is located in Houston County, Georgia.”

At the Board Of Zoning Appeals, several Houston County citizens used maps from The Nature Conservancy to show that lands proposed for Robins Solar Farm weren’t the best site selection for a solar farm. According to The Nature Conservancy’s website, “Proactive siting of these projects away from sensitive landscapes can accelerate the transition to cleaner energy while minimizing impacts to natural ecosystems and imperiled species such as the gopher tortoise. Avoidance of the more sensitive lands protects habitats and supports the resiliency of Georgia’s ecosystems.”

In the map below, Oaky Woods WMA is shaded light brown and the proposed Robins Solar Farm properties to the south are shaded in either yellow (not preferred for low impact) or red (avoidance recommended). Areas on The Nature Conservancy map that are shaded in green represent locales considered as “preferred for low impact” when considering future solar farm site locations.

If the Houston County BOC votes in favor of the solar farm, Silicon Ranch would take over ownership of the property, versus leasing the property for solar farming rights for a period of time.

“At the end of Robins Solar Farm’s 40-year useful life, Silicon Ranch will have the option of either re-powering the plant with new equipment or decommissioning it. As owners of the land, Silicon Ranch’s incentives are already aligned with those of its community stakeholders, and therefore decommissioning its plants is inherent in protecting the value of its asset and its investment.

“After a project is decommissioned, the result is an open, fairly flat pasture, now with increased fertility after 40 years of regenerative grazing, ready for the next land use. In this sense, compared to other, non-agricultural development, solar is the best possible ‘placeholder’ for a community concerned about development pressure on their land. A warehouse, manufacturing facility or housing development cannot make this claim; that land is truly lost forever.”

Silicon Ranch reports that Robins Solar Farm is said to bring a $300 million capital investment in the local community and more than $25 million in new tax revenue over the life of the project to support infrastructure and such community-identified priorities as schools, fire departments and county infrastructure such as water and gas lines. While it’s true that Houston County would reap economic benefits from the project and that 4,700 acres would be protected for at least four decades from shopping malls, gas stations and hotels, those who live in the area show immediate concern about individual property values, environmental concerns like erosion and simple aesthetics of their beloved county.

“It is ludicrous, ludicrous to think that this solar project won’t decrease the value of your property,” said Ed Varner, a concerned Houston County citizen and local attorney. “Nobody, nobody wants to live next to a solar project. Solar panels would cause increased heat in the local area and give off electromagnetic impulses that are not good for your health.”

He stated further that the section of Highway 247, which will be close to the solar project, is already ugly due to trash flying off trash trucks headed to the land fill, and the solar project would only make the area uglier and less desirable.

He also gave the Board a brief summary of a lawsuit that was filed in federal court in Columbus concerning a solar project in Stewart County. The initial judgment was against Silicon Ranch and two other defendants. The judge reduced the punitive damages to $5 million dollars. The case, which involves erosion issues from a neighboring property, is still in litigation.

The Houston County BOC will meet on Sept. 3 at 9 a.m. at the County Courthouse in Perry at 201 Perry Pkwy. If you would like to express comments, you can call 478.542.2115 or [email protected].

The Houston County BOC declined comment on this story.