Fayette County BZA hears amendment request for Yum Yum Solar; approves site plan for event venue in LaGrange

By: Carolyn G. Rhea,

Staff Writer

The Fayette County Board of Zoning Appeals met on Thursday, July 24, with Chairman Debbie Sullivan, and members John Arnette, Billy Wilson, Danny Dowdy, and county planner Jim Atkinson present. Absent was member Ken Spencer.

There were two items on their agenda, one concerning the Yum Yum solar farm and an application for an event venue. The representative on the solar farm, Michael Caplan, gave the board a progress report on the solar project. The construction continues and the ground cover and seeding is doing well. They are on schedule and on budget. They had an unexpected road improvement to do on Fowler Road. The project substation next to the Tennessee Valley  Authority (TVA) switch yard is nearing completion and a few weeks away. He said testing and commissioning of the project will start as soon as the substation is complete in the next month or two.

   The Yum Yum solar farm request had three parts. First was to modify the location of the maintenance building by 450 feet to the northeast on Fowler Drive. There is a single parcel just off Fowler Road where the substation switch yard and the O&M building is located. If they can relocate the O&M building about 450 feet, it would save them additional earth work. Another reason is they won’t be done using this yard after the construction is done. This means they could fully staff the construction workers there and get it finished.

   Caplan said the other item is to install another breaker at that location for the battery storage requested and extend the footprint by 40 feet. Third is to modify the site by permitting the storage of power by a battery energy storage system and modify the approved fence line of the substation. He said when we started this five years, it was a different world and we weren’t facing load growth that is straining the grid. Utility storage has become more common place. He gave them a letter from Chickasaw Electric with their perspective on this and the importance. If there is battery storage like this, in times of need or an emergency, Chickasaw would be able to dispatch power.

The battery facility would occupy two acres and would drive about 50 percent of the property tax revenue of the entire solar project for the community. It will be screened not only on their property but on the couple of residences near there. They have met with the county fire chief on the materials to be used and on safety and would need him to sign off on these plans.

TVA is the grid operator and they would amend their existing agreement with them. TVA would tell us how and when they want to charge the facility and how and when they want to discharge it, said Caplan. They have a choice and we don’t. If they choose to charge solely from the solar facility, it’s a less tax burden for the project and a less economic pickup for the county. This is based on the 50 percent mentioned earlier. If TVA charges from the grid or from the solar project, it’s much more tax benefit for the county.

   Chairman Sullivan said she will take questions from the board. Dowdy asked if the building is moved, what about the water flow. Caplan said we are required to update our swift water plan to account for any change and would need to submit a final site plan.

On the battery storage, Sullivan stated we have a solar committee and the one thing we always agreed to was no battery storage. With this change, we have to look to that solar committee as to what is allowable. She asked County Mayor Skip Taylor, who was in the audience, will this be taxed as a utility in addition to the property tax for the lessors. Taylor said we have some questions on the solar panels and the property assessor is working with the state.

Chairman Sullivan asked Fayette County Fire Chief Rich Hartfield his opinion on the battery storage. Hartfield replied we have talked and they are adhering with fire guidelines. The battery storage is enclosed and designed with safety in mind. They would be checked yearly.

   Planner Jim Atkinson stated the solar committee is working on drafts for amendments and at one of the previous meetings they talked about battery storage and conditions to include. This isn’t the final draft, he said, but it could be added. Mayor Taylor suggested we have them come back and he would like to get answers from a third party that is not involved on the storage.

Sullivan asked to remove the battery storage tonight and have a vote on the other two conditions. A motion was made to approve the first two requests contingent on the final site plan and to defer number three for future discussion and possible action at their meeting in August. It was set for August 28. The motion passed, with Wilson abstaining because he has property involved in the project.

Event Venue

Dax Carter is applying for a site plan with an approved special exception for an event venue on Turner Road in LaGrange. Carter stated he had applied for this last year but some of the property is in the city limits and some is in the county. He hired a surveyor and he could not find a legal description for the town line in the records. Also Nashville had no legal description of the town line and the county doesn’t either. Apparently the lines were drawn on a map but were never recorded.

Carter worked with the town of LaGrange and got some coordinates. He appeared before two board meetings in the town and got approval of the line and gave the BZA a copy of the letter from the town.

Chairman Sullivan asked will this have only one entrance and Carter said yes, it will be graveled. Fire Chief Hartfield said it needs to be wide enough for a fire truck and we will need a turn around too. Fire chief approval will be worked out on the site plan. The board voted to approve the application.