A large crowd attends a Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals hearing in February where an application for the proposed Carina Solar farm was rejected. In a separate hearing for zoning on the portion of the farm in Columbus, the city zoning board approved the application. An order in subsequent litigation issued this week effectively halts the proposed project.
Plans for a proposed 1,880-acre solar farm partially in Columbus and partially in Bartholomew County have been withdrawn, according an order that also ends litigation arising over zoning issues. An attorney for local landowners who opposed the solar farm development called it a victory.
A special judge earlier this week dismissed consolidated lawsuits over zoning decisions regarding a proposed solar energy farm that would have been built by Carina Solar Inc., a division of Samsung C&T. The order was issued Tuesday after parties filed a joint stipulation to dismiss two lawsuits filed in response to zoning decisions.
“In connection with the dismissal, the parties stipulate and agree that Carina Solar’s application docketed as #CCU-2023-018 is withdrawn and any approval of the referenced application by the City of Columbus Board of Zoning Appeals is vacated,” reads an order issued by Special Judge Matthew Bailey.
The decisions effectively halt the Carina project, which had received zoning approval for portions in the city of Columbus, but whose zoning application was denied for portions in the county.
“They’re obviously very pleased with the results,” said Fort Wayne attorney Jason Kuchmay, whose clients included about two dozen landowners who opposed the project.
California-based Carina had proposed to build a solar farm on about 1,880 acres of land leased from more than two dozen local landowners. The solar farm was proposed for an area generally south of County Road 100S, west of County Road 525E, east of South Gladstone Avenue and north of County Road 400S in Columbus Township.
An attorney representing Carina did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Separately, another solar farm project proposed in the county called Swallowtail Solar Farm was denied zoning approval in late July.
Read more about this story in Saturday’s edition of The Republic.
