In October 2022, the Linn County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in support of an ordinance that placed a moratorium on accepting rezoning applications for the Renewable Energy Overlay District (utility-scale solar applications). The moratorium period allows staff time to closely examine and analyze Linn County’s renewable energy standards taking lessons learned from the two recent utility-scale solar rezoning applications.
The period also allowed Linn County Planning & Development to create Renewable Energy Review Committees to help look at specific areas of the renewable energy code including, but not limited to, setbacks, vegetation, screening, agrivoltaics, and battery energy storage systems. The committees are comprised of residents (selected through an application process) and one staff liaison per committee. Committees met multiple times over the course of three months to help evaluate current code and provide input on future code changes. After fully exploring each area of the code, the committees prepared final statements to deliver to the Board of Supervisors on the effectiveness of the current code.
Linn County values resident and stakeholder engagement. So, prior to presenting their final statements to the Board of Supervisors, the committees are seeking feedback from the public. This feedback will be summarized and presented alongside the committees’ final statements.
Residents are invited to read the final statements, which are available on the Linn County website, and to submit their feedback via the online form. Feedback is requested by May 5.
Sign up to be notified of future Board of Supervisors meetings and agendas once they are scheduled by visiting www.LinnCountyIowa.gov/NotifyMe.
For more information on the utility-scale solar permitting process in Linn County, visit www.LinnCountyIowa.gov/SolarFarms.