Developer of Marengo solar farm asks for clarification

MARENGO — Developers of a proposed solar farm southwest of Marengo asked for clarification last week so it can move forward with the project.

The Marengo Board of Adjustment granted a zoning variance in April of 2023 to Conifer Power Company at the request of its principal officer, Bob Bergstrom. But Conifer was acting on behalf of PCR Investments, says Sergio Pozzerle in an email to Marengo City Administrator Karla Marck dated Dec. 13, 2024

PCR understood rightly, according to Marengo City Attorney Gage Kensler, that the variance was granted for the parcels and not for a specific entity. Therefore, PCR can develop the solar project on the designated parcels even though the application was initially made in the name of Conifer.

The City Council decided that, as the Board of Adjustment granted the variance, that board should confirm whether or not it applied to PCR.

Conifer Power Company requested permission in February of 2023 to put a field of solar panels on property belonging to William and Rona Wyant in the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter and the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 35, township 81, range 11, on the northwest corner of the intersection of 160th St. and L Avenue, for interconnection to T.I.P. Rural Electric Cooperative in Brooklyn, Iowa.

Iowa County had no zoning prohibiting it, but Marengo has an extraterritorial zoning boundary two miles from the city limits and prohibits utility scale solar installation, said Marck.

The Wyant property is 0.42 miles outside Marengo’s corporate boundaries. The developers requested a zoning variance so it could install solar panels.

“Our ordinances says the city doesn’t allow solar farms,” said Marck last week. “We don’t want somebody taking a block out of the city and putting up the panels.” So the city denied the request.

“We then took it to the variance board,” Marck said. The Board of Adjustment was presented with a packet of information, and Bergstrom and the Wyants made their pitch.

The variance board voted to approve the solar farm, said Marck. “It’s an agreement between the landowners and Conifer,” she said.

In the last 60 days, Marck was informed that PRC will be executing and implementing the project and that Conifer was representing PCR when it requested the variance.

Because the variance was granted under the name Conifer, attorneys for the developers wanted to make sure the variance was granted for the property and not for a specific company, said Marck.

Kensler said during the Jan. 8 Marengo City Council meeting that the Marengo Board of Adjustment approved the project for the property, not for a specific company.

Councilman Travis Schlabach said he thought the council had to approve decisions by the Board of Adjustment, but Kensler said that board’s decision is final. If a company doesn’t like the decision, it can appeal that decision to the court, but the decision doesn’t need approval of the city council.