photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County Food Policy Council holds special meeting Monday to discuss key plans in Kansas Sky Energy Center project.

After reviewing two significant plans for a controversial solar project in Douglas County, the Douglas County Food Policy Council plans to send a letter to county commissioners asking for additional time for other organizations to review the proposed plans.

The council held a special meeting on Monday to discuss a letter, which requested more time for organizations to review both the stormwater and agrivoltaics plans. This comes as county commissioners are set to vote on these plans for the Kansas Sky Energy Center project – a solar farm proposing the installation of approximately 8 million square feet of solar panels on farmland north of North Lawrence – later this week.

Douglas County Sustainability Manager Kim Criner Ritchie said that their staff was asked to specifically review the agrivoltaics plan – which aims to have agriculture and solar panels coexist – and to look at it in regard to the work in the food system and sustainability work in the county.

The agrivoltaics plan highlighted a strategy to manage the soil and vegetation in a way to allow the land to revert to agricultural use if the solar panels are no longer in place, as the Journal-World reported. Currently, 95% of the 1,105.3-acre project area is dedicated to growing crops such as corn and soybeans.

During the meeting, several members of the council expressed their interest in writing the letter to commissioners to allow time for an engineering firm of their own and for the Natural Resource Conservation Service, or NRCS, to also potentially take a look at the agrivoltaics plan.

District Manager of the Conservation District Suzy Mooney said that with the current agrivoltaics plan, if implemented, the land could be overgrazed by sheep and could lead to soil erosion and water contamination.

Agricultural Producer Natalya Lowther, who wrote the initial draft of the letter, said that while the agrivoltaics plan has the potential to implement sheep grazing, it would take high quality land out of production.

“There’s no promise that there will be any contribution to the local food system for the 25 years or more that this (land) is under solar panels,” Lowther said.

Lowther added that there are also some concerns that the plan does not support some of the goals that the Food Policy Council represents.

In the drafted letter, the council recommends the commissioners to consider that the site be managed for actual agricultural production in a matter that supports the existing local food system; prioritizes land access opportunities and funding to local producers; and contributes significantly to the food security of Douglas County residents; among other things.

The council also reminded commissioners in the letter that it’s the commission’s responsibility to prioritize protection of high quality agricultural lands, and make sure the work is consistent with the Northeast Sector Plan, outlining specific land use goals, and Plan 2040, which specifies goals to promote a high quality of life in both urban and rural settings.

As the Journal-World reported, Grant Township, encompassing the rural portions of Douglas County north of the Kansas River, has sent a letter asking the county commissioners to cancel its planned vote for both plans on Wednesday. The township said it was critical that an engineer should be hired by the township to determine whether the project will have an impact on roads, ditches, culverts and other infrastructure.

The County Commission will consider approving both the stormwater and agrivoltaics plan at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Douglas County Public Works training room at 3755 E. 25th St. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.