Leaport County BZA denies Yellowstone Solar special-exception petition after safety and environmental questions
July 21, 2026 | Kingsford Heights, LaPorte County, Indiana
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The Leaport County Board of Zoning Appeals on July 21 voted to deny a special‑exception petition from Yellowstone Solar Project LLC for a commercial large‑scale ground‑mounted solar energy system proposed in Johnson Township.
The petition covered roughly 626.85 acres and was tabled from the board’s June meeting; counsel Christopher Willoughby and project staff reintroduced the application and answered board questions about environmental studies, endangered‑species surveys and emergency response. Willoughby told the board the submission included environmental impact analyses and a threatened/endangered‑species study and said the documents were available in the public record. "We've completed and started environmental impact statements, Army Corps, IDM, DNR," the applicant said on the record when asked about species and habitat work.
Board members pressed the project team on fire protection and emergency access. Project representatives said Hamlet Fire Department was the primary responder and that the applicant would train neighboring township departments, supply facility access and shut‑off information, and provide 24‑hour monitoring to speed response. As one project representative stated, "we're committed to 24‑hour monitoring where the first instance will be quicker than a phone call from a neighbor to the project to fire so that there is instantaneous response." The team also said panels would connect to an existing NIPSCO substation to avoid new overhead transmission lines and that panels would occupy about 300 acres of the proposed site.
After further discussion the board took a motion to deny the petition and the motion carried following a voice vote. The transcript records the denial vote but does not contain a detailed written findings statement on the record explaining each criterion; members noted that recusal and other procedural matters had occurred earlier in the hearing (Board member Jeff Balties recused and an alternate sat for that petition). The board’s denial means the applicant would need to refile or appeal to pursue the project in this form.
The meeting record indicates the applicant’s submission and referenced studies remain available in the building commissioner's public file for review.
The petition covered roughly 626.85 acres and was tabled from the board’s June meeting; counsel Christopher Willoughby and project staff reintroduced the application and answered board questions about environmental studies, endangered‑species surveys and emergency response. Willoughby told the board the submission included environmental impact analyses and a threatened/endangered‑species study and said the documents were available in the public record. "We've completed and started environmental impact statements, Army Corps, IDM, DNR," the applicant said on the record when asked about species and habitat work.
Board members pressed the project team on fire protection and emergency access. Project representatives said Hamlet Fire Department was the primary responder and that the applicant would train neighboring township departments, supply facility access and shut‑off information, and provide 24‑hour monitoring to speed response. As one project representative stated, "we're committed to 24‑hour monitoring where the first instance will be quicker than a phone call from a neighbor to the project to fire so that there is instantaneous response." The team also said panels would connect to an existing NIPSCO substation to avoid new overhead transmission lines and that panels would occupy about 300 acres of the proposed site.
After further discussion the board took a motion to deny the petition and the motion carried following a voice vote. The transcript records the denial vote but does not contain a detailed written findings statement on the record explaining each criterion; members noted that recusal and other procedural matters had occurred earlier in the hearing (Board member Jeff Balties recused and an alternate sat for that petition). The board’s denial means the applicant would need to refile or appeal to pursue the project in this form.
The meeting record indicates the applicant’s submission and referenced studies remain available in the building commissioner's public file for review.
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