DevelopOhio

For the second time, Granville Village Council has voted to approve Denison University’s proposed Biological Reserve solar panel array, after opponents questioned whether the project could be considered a commercial use, The Columbus Dispatch reports. The opponents, residents of Welsh Hills Drive whose properties overlook the Biological Reserve (for more, see our March 17, 2015 blog post), appealed “that the project serves a commercial use because AEP will lease the land and provide the panels, and then sell the solar-generated electricity back to Denison.” Licking County Common Pleas Judge Thomas Marcelain sent the matter back to Granville Council in response to that appeal, writing that “council had not determined whether the proposed solar array . . . constituted commercial use” and that they “needed to make that determination in order to properly approve permits for the project.” After a closed hearing with attorneys representing the opponents and Denison, Council voted 5-2 “that the solar array does not constitute commercial use.” Council will submit an official document outlining its decision to the court, after which Marcelain “may make a decision on the residents’ appeal or ask for additional briefs,” according to the article.