York County Commissioners revisit 3,000-acre solar farm zoning rules
YORK, Neb. (KLKN) — York County commissioners are once again moving forward with discussions on a proposed solar farm that could span roughly 3,000 acres, revisiting zoning regulations that would determine how and where such a project could be built.
During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners reviewed the status of proposed rules that have faced delays over the past several months.
The conversation focused primarily on zoning regulations and potential amendments, including setback requirements and other standards that would guide development of large-scale solar projects.
Commissioner Joe Burgess said any amendments addressing the larger solar proposal, including setbacks, would likely be handled separately to ensure thorough discussion among board members.
“The rest of it would be the conversational parts, if you will — the big solar project, the big setbacks on that,” Burgess said. “That will be a whole separate amendment that I would want to do next, so that we fully make sure that we discuss as a board, because the setbacks are in there, well, I think they should be. But that may not be what we end up on a compromise.”
Commissioners emphasized that any amendments to the zoning regulations would still require a vote and could involve additional opportunities for public input.
The process has taken time in part because of the need to bring a new commissioner up to speed on prior discussions and technical details.
Commissioner Debora Robertson acknowledged the learning curve during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I’m learning a lot. I think I’m catching up, but I don’t think I can catch up, not hearing all of the conversation that you all have heard,” she said.
Commissioners said they plan to continue reviewing potential regulations before taking further action.
The proposed solar farm has drawn interest from landowners and neighboring residents concerned about how a project of that size could affect their properties and surrounding communities.
