HUBBARD — Many of the reporter-estimated 90 people who attended Tuesday’s Planning and Zoning meeting in the Hubbard Community Center left frustrated.
A vocal majority who were against plans for a 2,900-acre solar farm to be built on farmland east of town were disappointed by the nine-member committee’s decision to approve both a conditional use permit and a Solar Overlay District (SOD) that would open the door for construction of the Sternwheeler Solar Project, a solar farm that proponents said is needed to help address the state’s future energy needs.
Mission Clean Energy CEO Max Bocker told those in attendance that the project would create 200 construction-related jobs and would make a huge dent in county property taxes.
“Energy infrastructure is the backbone of our economy, and this project would generate enough for thousands of homes and expand industrial development in Dakota County,” he said.
The 75-minute meeting saw numerous area landowners speak out against the solar farm, citing a variety of reasons from water runoff to taking quality land out of the county’s agricultural system.
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