Fayette Township’s Planning Commission postponed the solar panel decision. Collegian | Sydney Green

The proposed solar panel project in Fayette Township will remain in limbo until at least May 7, following a unanimous vote by the planning commission April 16 to delay deliberations until then. 

The postponement comes weeks after the Fayette Township Planning Commission adopted a new ordinance on April 1 restricting renewable energy developments, including the proposed Heartwood Solar II project. This second phase could span more than 1,300 acres, covering about 10% of the township. The project’s smaller, first phase is almost completed, and the Collegian previously reported there could be a potential third phase of more than 2,000 acres.

Ranger Power, the Chicago-based developer behind the project, presented updates to its application at a public hearing last Thursday aimed at complying with the township’s newly adopted Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance.

Brady Friss, the development manager for Ranger Power, said the company has revised its plans since its initial December 2025 submission.

“We’ve worked to update our application to bring it into compliance and additionally address feedback that we’ve heard,” Friss said during the meeting. 

Friss outlined several additions, including environmental assessments, emergency response planning, stormwater management strategies and a strengthened decommissioning plan. He emphasized coordination with agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

He also highlighted potential economic benefits, including an estimated $20 million in property tax revenue over 40 years and local grant funding.

“These projects are completely voluntary,” Friss said. “These are landowners that have farmed their property for years and generations, and they feel that this is the best use of their private property.”

Tony Weldy, a property owner in Fayette Township, expressed frustration with the amount of farmland potentially being converted.

“Twenty-six percent of our farmland is going to go to this. Enough is enough, that is way more than it should be,” Weldy said in the meeting. “I just want you guys to consider how much is enough — what is next? Data centers? Battery storage centers?”

Sylvia Valdez, a Fayette Township resident, pointed to inconsistencies with the township’s master plan.

“It was mentioned in previous meetings that we have a master plan, and that in the master plan it says this land is agricultural,” Valdez said at the April 16 meeting. “I’m wondering, what is the point of having a master plan if we are not going to follow it? Also, whatever happened to government by the people and for the people?”

Carrie Oleszkowicz, wife of Steve Oleszkowicz, Fayette Township resident and founder of No Solar Fayette, said she moved to Hillsdale to avoid suburban expansion. 

“I want my children to grow up in a farming community,” Oleszkowicz said at the meeting. “I have been running from suburban sprawl my entire life; it just devastated me to see all this land taken. I didn’t want that. So I kept leaving.”

Oleszkowicz said she chose the Hillsdale County area specifically for its zoning and rural nature, adding the proposed project feels like a repeat of development patterns she tried to avoid.

“It’s very disappointing that all of a sudden there’s industrialization coming, because I feel like it’s happening again,” Oleszkowicz. “I’m really tired of it, and I don’t want this community to be destroyed.”

The planning commission consulted Shane Peterson, an engineer for Fleis & VandenBrink Engineering Services, an engineering and architecture firm with an office in Kalamazoo. Peterson found the application largely complete but identified several areas needing clarification before final approval.

Among the issues cited were missing site plan details such as inconsistencies in setback measurements, incomplete stormwater and traffic safety information, and the need for clearer landscaping and screening requirements.

“None of the identified issues rise to the level of recommending denial,” Peterson said at the meeting. “In short, the project is viable, but several technical and administrative details must be resolved to ensure full compliance with township ordinances.”

The meeting will be open again for public comment to discuss the potential installation of the solar-panel project. It will be held on May 7 at 7 p.m. in the Jonesville High School cafetorium.