Urban County Planning Commission Recommends Ban on Large Solar Farms on Agricultural Land in Fayette County

Lexington – In a decisive move, the Urban County Planning Commission has unanimously voted to recommend a ban on large solar farms on agricultural land in Fayette County. This decision, reached during a meeting on Thursday night, serves as a significant victory for farmland preservation advocates who have been campaigning against the establishment of expansive solar operations on productive cropland.

The proposed zone text amendment, which outlines the permitted types of solar installations across Fayette County, will now be forwarded to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council for further consideration. It remains uncertain when the council will address this ordinance.

The amendment was initiated by Silicon Ranch, a Tennessee-based solar developer interested in developing a large-scale solar farm spanning hundreds of acres in the region. Currently, the existing zoning regulations do not provide specific guidelines for solar development, prompting the need for this amendment.

Silicon Ranch had previously sought permission to allow solar farms on agricultural land through a conditional use permit process. Such a measure would have required solar operators to obtain approval from city planning boards before establishing solar facilities on farmland. The developer has expressed interest in acquiring 797 acres near East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s planned 384-acre solar farm.

Despite the recommendation to prohibit large solar installations on agricultural land, smaller integrated and rooftop solar systems will still be permitted under the new rules. Senior planner Daniel Crum noted that the installation of ground-mounted solar systems may impact soil quality, which remains a concern given that large solar developments are relatively new.

Advocates for the ban, including Brittany Roethemeier, executive director of Fayette Alliance, stress that large-scale solar farms in agricultural zones undermine the purpose of protecting fertile farmland. “It represents economic development. It represents jobs,” Roethemeier stated, highlighting that 87% of Fayette County’s land consists of prime agricultural soil.

Support for the ban is echoed by local farmers, such as Phillip Meyer, who argue that solar energy installations are better suited for urban areas rather than agricultural land. In contrast, Silicon Ranch’s legal representative, Darby Turner, spoke in favor of an agrivoltaics model that allows concurrent agricultural use on solar sites, suggesting a land management plan to address concerns about soil quality deterioration.

As the debate over solar development on agricultural land continues, the resolution now lies with the Urban County Council, which will ultimately determine the future of solar zoning regulations in Fayette County.