On Monday night, Fayette Township’s planning commission slammed the brakes on Ranger Power’s Heartwood II solar proposal, voting to deny a special land‑use permit for a 140‑megawatt array that would have stretched across roughly 1,350 acres. The decision capped months of heated public meetings where neighbors, local officials and Hillsdale College warned the project would threaten water resources, wetlands and the township’s agricultural character.
How the vote landed
After a packed session at Jonesville High School, commissioners unanimously rejected the special use permit, according to WTVB. Residents argued the project would alter the township’s rural character and pose environmental risks. The vote came shortly after the township adopted a Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance in April, intended to establish local setback and property‑line limits for large solar installations.
What Heartwood II would look like
Ranger Power, the Chicago developer behind the existing Heartwood I array, proposed Heartwood II as a 140‑megawatt utility‑scale installation across roughly 1,350 acres and has secured land‑use rights on hundreds of local parcels, according to the Hillsdale Collegian. Company representatives have said they revised site plans and added environmental assessments, stormwater measures and emergency‑response planning to address concerns raised at public meetings.
Why the commission denied it
Zoning consultants from Carlisle/Wortman formally recommended denial, citing deficient wetland protection and the inappropriate conversion of productive farmland. The commission’s motion to reject the permit echoed those findings and, as reported by WTVB, also pointed to gaps in the applicant’s emergency‑response planning, the planned removal of dozens of acres of trees and other impacts to the township’s rural landscape.
Developer response and next steps
Ranger Power said it remains committed to the project and to the property rights of participating landowners, development manager Brady Friss told local outlets, and company officials say they have updated their application to address technical and environmental questions, as reported by Radio Hillsdale. Earlier coverage noted Ranger Power gave the township a 30‑day window to adopt a CREO before pursuing other options, a timeline that frames what could be the next round of local and state filings, according to FOX 47.
State law gives the developer an out
Because Heartwood II exceeds Michigan’s statutory size threshold for siting review, the developer could ask the Michigan Public Service Commission to certify the project and preempt local zoning, a path laid out under Public Act 233 and explained in a recent Michigan Court of Appeals opinion. The court noted that PA 233 applies to “any solar energy facility with a nameplate capacity of 50 megawatts or more” and described when a Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance will preserve local control versus when the commission may step in. For the legal details, see the Michigan Court of Appeals ruling.
The planning commission’s denial is a clear local victory for opponents, but advocates and officials say the fight is unlikely to end at the township level. Organizers who filled meeting rooms said they will keep monitoring any state filings or appeals, while the developer has signaled it is weighing its options under both the local ordinance process and state law.
