Farmers and environmentalists clash over proposed solar zoning change in Fayette County
August 27, 2026 | Lexington City, Fayette County, Kentucky
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A long public-comment period on Aug. 27 focused heavily on a proposed zoning ordinance (ZODA) to regulate large-scale solar energy systems and allow limited agrivoltaic projects on agricultural land.
Opponents — many of them farmers and PDR program stakeholders — argued the proposal risks permanent loss of prime soils and could create precedents that expand industrial use of farmland. Jim Coleman, a fourth-generation farmer, urged the council to "adopt a simple principle, which is solar 1st and farmland last," arguing alternatives such as rooftops, parking lots and brownfields should be prioritized.
Supporters that included Silicon Ranch representative Eric Kopstein and Bluegrass Climate Action Team leaders said the amended zoning provides stringent land-management plans, bonding and soil-protection measures. Kopstein described Silicon Ranch as a long-term owner-operator that practices agrivoltaics and urged the council to "support the solar Zoda and move it forward." Judith Humble and others cited peer-reviewed agrivoltaic research and said limited, well-regulated solar on portions of county land could supply substantial energy without eliminating agriculture.
Speakers debated scale and cumulative impact: a figure of "approximately nearly 2,000 acres" was cited by speakers warning of long-term cumulative change. Questions from residents focused on transmission losses, property-value impacts, the planning commission's prior recommendation against certain siting, and whether non-agricultural sites should be used first.
The ordinance language (read in first reading by the clerk) amends zoning code sections to define footprints for solar energy systems, clarify farmland-of-statewide-importance and prime farmland, add requirements for land-management and decommissioning plans, and create exceptions for brownfield properties. Council did not vote on final adoption of the ZODA during this meeting; public comment indicated a sharply divided community.
Opponents — many of them farmers and PDR program stakeholders — argued the proposal risks permanent loss of prime soils and could create precedents that expand industrial use of farmland. Jim Coleman, a fourth-generation farmer, urged the council to "adopt a simple principle, which is solar 1st and farmland last," arguing alternatives such as rooftops, parking lots and brownfields should be prioritized.
Supporters that included Silicon Ranch representative Eric Kopstein and Bluegrass Climate Action Team leaders said the amended zoning provides stringent land-management plans, bonding and soil-protection measures. Kopstein described Silicon Ranch as a long-term owner-operator that practices agrivoltaics and urged the council to "support the solar Zoda and move it forward." Judith Humble and others cited peer-reviewed agrivoltaic research and said limited, well-regulated solar on portions of county land could supply substantial energy without eliminating agriculture.
Speakers debated scale and cumulative impact: a figure of "approximately nearly 2,000 acres" was cited by speakers warning of long-term cumulative change. Questions from residents focused on transmission losses, property-value impacts, the planning commission's prior recommendation against certain siting, and whether non-agricultural sites should be used first.
The ordinance language (read in first reading by the clerk) amends zoning code sections to define footprints for solar energy systems, clarify farmland-of-statewide-importance and prime farmland, add requirements for land-management and decommissioning plans, and create exceptions for brownfield properties. Council did not vote on final adoption of the ZODA during this meeting; public comment indicated a sharply divided community.
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