Logan County Commissioners will take another shot at approving a special use permit for a 23-acre, 4-megawatt solar garden at the west edge of Sterling.
Pivot Energy of Denver has requested the permit to install solar panels on the site between Sterling Lateral No.1 irrigation ditch and the city limits north of Iris Drive. The project would link with three existing Pivot solar gardens at that site and the power would be sold to Xcel Energy.
The commissioners originally considered the permit at their July 30 meeting, but laid the issue over when Sterling city officials raised objections. Councilwoman Megan Wolf had raised the issue at the City Council’s July 23 meeting after she received a letter from Pivot Energy about the county’s public hearing scheduled for July 30. Wolf, Councilman Dean Haynes and City Manager Kevin Blankenship attended the commissioners’ July 30 meeting and raised a number of issues with the solar garden, primarily about its proximity to the bicycle and walking path that follows the city border on the west side. They also were upset that they had only recently learned of the project.
The commissioners agreed to delay the permit approval until the city’s representatives could get the information they needed. County Planner Rob Quint and Pivot Energy Project Manager Kyle Sundman appeared before City Council on Aug. 13 with that information. Sundman emphasized that concerns from neighbors all had been addressed and that the solar garden will be 200 feet away from the city’s hiking and biking path. Quint pointed out that the city has no jurisdiction over the project, which is in the county, and that property owners adjacent to the site all had been notified.
The commissioners also will consider an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Sterling for the Nov. 5, 2024, general election. The city anticipates putting a question on the ballot asking permission to tax marijuana sales in Sterling between 5 and 10 percent.
The commissioners will meet for a work session at 9 a.m. followed by the business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
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