Sartell Grants CUP Application Extension For Solar Garden Project

(KNSI) — The Sartell City Council Monday night approved a 60-day extension to a conditional use permit application for Fitzthum solar development with Enterprise Energy. In early May, the company put a 90-day moratorium in place on new solar gardens in the city.

The moratorium is so the city can review and examine ordinances governing where solar gardens can go in the city.

The land where the proposed garden would go was part of LeSauk Township but was annexed into the city in April 2023. With that annexation petition, a conditional use permit was also submitted, but the permit could only be reviewed once it was legally approved as being part of the City of Sartell which happened on May 2nd. On May 1st, the planning commission reviewed and recommended approval of a six-month solar garden moratorium. On May 8th, the council approved the three-month moratorium, which will expire on August 8th.

After much discussion, mostly due to lack of notice for public hearings, the council voted 4-0, with Mayor Ryan Fitzhum abstaining, to grant the 60-day extension on the PUC. Mayor Fitzhum did not vote and refrained from any discussions about the moratorium, as the land where the proposed solar garden would sit is owned by his company, Fitzhum Development LLC.

An upset neighbor did speak during the public forum and voiced his concerns about the solar garden being placed on that property as it’s next to the property he owns. He was also against it because it’s in the heart of Sartell, and that could be an area for future development and what happens to the panels if they are removed to make way for something else.

Enterprise Energy owner Evan Carlson spoke during the meeting and explained that he chose the land for the proposed garden because it is as far away as possible from existing residences. He says the property is unique due to a wetland issue. He explained it is a farmed wetland, so it’s mostly dry. When the panels are installed, a post called an I-beam gets driven into the ground. If that beam needs to be pulled out, no concrete ever gets poured, so the currently farmed area becomes a wetland. Carlson says it’s considered hydric soil, but if panels and beams are pulled, they put down a pollinator seed mix, and it becomes a protected wetland by the Department of Natural Resources, and it stays that way forever.

The council will revisit the issue come August.

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