Hopkinsville City Council approved final reading of the city’s first solar energy system ordinance, which requires that large-scale operations of 40 acres or more with ground-mounted panels be set back at least 1,000 feet from property boundaries.
The vote at Tuesday’s meeting was unanimous with all 12 council members present.
The Community and Development Services governing board had approved the solar energy regulations as an amendment to the city’s Code of Ordinances on Sept. 26 and forwarded it to city council.
The policy passed despite opposition from landowner and former council member Marby Schlegel, who argued the 1,000-foot setback requirement is excessive. Her family owns roughly 600 acres in the city limits that is being considered for a solar farm. The land borders Pembroke Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
The setback requirement is…