MONTAGUE — The White River Township planning commission fielded an overview of Lakeside Solar's special land use permit application from McKenna, a Michigan company that specializes in community planning, at its Tuesday meeting.
The meeting was originally scheduled to include a question and answer session with Chris Doozan of McKenna and Leslie Zawada of CES Engineering, which is also working with the township, but the commission said prior to the meeting that Lakeside Solar would not be answering questions Tuesday. The company will instead address the questions in a filing with the township next week, with the responses evaluated at a special meeting Dec. 2.
Lakeside Solar representatives attended the commission meeting, but have maintained a company policy of not publicly commenting on what transpires.
The McKenna presentation noted that the facility projects to meet the electrical needs of 39,600 homes annually, and that as of the 2020 census, there are 785 homes in the township.
The questions lodged to Lakeside Solar largely revolved around perceived deficiencies in the application - such as 216.7 acres not being accounted for in the site plan - as well as requests for more specifics and questioning why the company is not attempting to construct the facility in the township's renewable energy overlay. The township created the overlay on Chemours land last year with the intent of it functioning as a Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance (CREO) under Public Act 233. PA233 allows renewable energy companies to petition the Michigan Public Services Commission for siting approval for facilities if the municipality's ordinance is deemed more restrictive than the state's.
Doozan and Zawada also noted the existence of the Pierson Drain flood plain, over which some of the planned 1,753-acre facility lies, asking if Lakeside Solar has accounted for the limitations of that drain's easement.
Doozan's list of questions included asking about landscape drawings being completed and sealed by a state-certified landscape architect, saying that is a requirement of the township's ordinance. He also asked about the inclusion of detailed exterior light specifications for the project, a requirement of PA233.
"The application is definitely incomplete" given the list of unaddressed specifics and questions both Doozan and Zawada have, Doozan said.
Following Doozan and Zawada's presentations, township zoning administrator Bill Schmiege presented his initial site review analysis as required for special land use permits. He requested Lakeside Solar provide insurance quotes to substantiate the claims it made in its alternative site analysis, which explained that, among other things, prohibitive rates to insure the site were among the reasons it did not pursue a solar energy facility in the township's renewable energy district. He added that drawing scales on the application ranged from 200-618 feet per inch, as opposed to a standard 100.
Schmiege said over time, it was likely some of the issues he noticed in the application would be addressed, but added, "Make no mistake, there's a lot of work to do."
A few public commenters spoke against the proposed facility, expressing disappointment the company chose not to pursue the renewable energy district, stating concerns for township wildlife and privacy issues surrounding surveillance cameras at its weather stations, and asking technical questions about battery storage and whether residents or businesses would be receiving the energy generated by the facility.
