After a 15-minute discussion Tuesday, the Sherburne County Board adopted an interim ordinance setting a six-month moratorium on solar farms and solar energy systems in certain areas of the county.

 

Zoning Administrator Nancy Riddle said there are concerns about specific areas near Hwy. 25 in Big Lake and Hwy. 169 in Baldwin and Livonia townships.

“Solar farms are such long-term uses, once they’re in, they can have an impact on an area and how it develops,” she said.

 

Commissioner Raeanne Danielowski, who is a member of the Hwy. 25 Corridor Coalition, said a solar farm built on Hwy. 25 south of Big Lake could impact a future bridge crossing.

 

“We’ve been talking about this for the last three years - finding a bridge crossing in the area between Elk River and Monticello,” she said. “We’ve done some studies and are working down through the process.”

 

She said there is a definite need for a crossing to connect Wright and Sherburne counties to relieve some of the burden on the current Hwy. 25 bridge.

“This is a temporary six month moratorium so we have a chance to sit back, take a breath and not have anything impact the potential of what we’re planning,” she said, “and not have any unnecessary costs down the road when it comes time to build a crossing.”

 

Commissioner Felix Schmiesing said he had concerns about a moratorium.

 

“We need to make sure we keep the door open,” he said.

 

He said solar presents an opportunity for non-permanent land use.

 

“If you put a solar farm in, you don’t pour cement. It can be easily removed,” he said. “In some of our areas where we want to protect our opportunities to expand and for other uses, I think solar may be something we want to consider allowing in those places.”

 

“We have to be careful, and people have to understand this can be an opportunity to preserve (an area). If it goes to buildings, to houses or to sheds, I think they are more difficult for us to move or change.”

 

Riddle agreed.

 

“This is nothing against solar,” she said. “But we want to make sure we don’t get them in areas that are ready to develop right now and that the highest and best use is something else.”

 

Commissioner Barbara Burandt asked if there were any current applications that might be affected in the moratorium areas.

 

Riddle said the county has five requests, but nothing in those areas.

 

Tim Dolan said the temporary moratorium will give the county a chance consider the impacts on development.

 

“We have a little bit more knowledge about how they impact things versus when solar first came to town,” he said. “Doing a moratorium lets us effectively contemplate things versus trying to do it on the fly when there are applications coming in. We can very well get 60 days into this and decide we don’t need to make any changes. But we have to give ourselves the opportunity.”

 

 

The board approved an amendment to an agreement for professional and technical services with Houston Engineering. The firm will provide residential well sampling and analysis near the Vonco I Big Lake Landfill, in an amount not to exceed $5,128.

 

The properties that will be evaluated are: 18976 180th Ave. NW, 18864 180th Ave. NW, 18954 180th Ave. NW, 18910 180th Ave. NW, 19029 181st Ave. NW and 19040 181st Ave. NW Big Lake.