County officials are rescheduling votes on zoning changes that would allow construction of a large-scale solar farm around the decommissioned nuclear power plant near Palo.
Charlie Nichols, Linn County’s planning and development director, told the crowd gathered for a public hearing last night that the county had failed to provide proper notice of the hearing. “I apologize to all of you who have showed up and put this on your calendars, but we will have to set up a new meeting schedule,” Nichols said, “and make sure we get everything properly published before that happens.”
The Iowa Utilities Board has indicated it will provide permits for the solar project if local officials approve zoning changes. Linn County’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved those adjustments earlier this month. NextEra Energy has proposed a solar farm that would cover over 11-hundred acres and a battery storage facility near Palo.