Neighbors,

As you know the decision on the proposed 30-acre OneEnergy/MG&E commercial solar energy plant sited between Savannah Village and Kennedy Drive was moved from the Waunakee Village Board to the Westport/Waunakee Joint Planning Commission.

Public comments will be heard on this topic at the Joint Planning Commission (JPC) meeting on Tuesday, December 9th at 6pm. The meeting will take place at Westport Town Hall, 5387 Mary Lake Road, Waunakee, WI 53597

The members of the JPC that will be voting on the project consist of 3 Waunakee and 3 Westport representatives. This is a majority vote with a tie equaling a no vote. These commission members are new to this topic, so it is critical that you attend the meeting and register your opposition.

The key issues are as follows:

1.      There are no benefits to Westport or Waunakee. The energy will go into the MG&E grid. Neither town receives electric energy from MG&E. 

2.      A positive vote sets a dangerous precedent which would make it difficult to halt the spread of this and other commercial scale solar energy plants.  Although the current project is for 30 acres, MG&E now owns 110+ contiguous acres in this area so it is likely that they will eventually build out the entire area if this project is passed.

3.      Housing values nearby will decline (Data updated Nov 2025). The largest study available today looking at over 8 million property transactions in the US located near commercial solar energy plants showed an average drop in residential market value of 7.9% for homes within a half mile that can view the panels, 7.2% drop for homes within a half mile that do not have a view of the panels and 4.8% for homes within 3 miles of the solar energy plant. Using this as a basis, estimating homes within 3 miles, and overlaying actual ‘Zillow’ house values in the impacted communities within a half-mile of the proposed site, the total estimated decrease in residential values in Westport and Waunakee as a result of this solar power plant project would be over $150 Million dollars, with the average devaluation of residences in Savannah Village estimated to be $52,000.

4.      The proposed site is primarily wetlands. Placing a solar field over wetlands typically requires draining and/or filling the wetlands, - essentially transitioning a wetland into a meadow ecosystem. When wetlands are damaged, they can no longer filter out pollutants, and the risk of downstream pollution, algae blooms, and degraded water quality increases significantly. Wetlands along this proposed site connect directly to Six-Mile Creek, and connect to Lake Mendota via manmade channels, and this connects to the Yahara chain of lakes. The ground will not ‘rest’ if a solar energy plant is placed over the site. It will be irreparably damaged.

5.      The proposed land use violates the intent of the Waunakee comprehensive plan. In addition to being mostly wetlands, the proposed site was designated as rural preservation land with development limitations by the Waunakee Comprehensive plan. The Comprehensive Plan’s stated goals for Rural Preservation Areas are to maintain predominantly agricultural and open-space uses, protect natural resources and rural character, and notes that no new lots or commercial rezoning should be approved in these areas—except for agriculture-related businesses. The proposed commercial solar energy plant violates the plan’s explicit restrictions and long-term land use policy. The comprehensive plans also defers any new commercial development until all land within the Urban Service Area (USA) is developed. This was anticipated to occur after 2035.

6.      The proposed site is not zoned for commercial solar energy plants. The proposal conflicts with the Waunakee Zoning Code. Commercial scale solar energy plants are not a conditional use in A-1 zoning where it is proposed. The proposal also violates zoning code 113-11(e), which forbids land uses on flood-prone or environmentally unsuitable sites. The site’s wetlands and drainage conditions clearly fall into that category. The zoning section of the Waunakee code does not overlay the other zoning districts as this section is clearly intended for residential solar projects powering structures on the same property (not commercial solar power plants feeding the grid). Wisconsin Statute 66.0401 does not require approval of unsafe or inappropriate locations for solar sites. Local governments may regulate renewable energy to protect public health, safety, and the environment—which is exactly the case here. Waunakee and Westport both support rooftop and small-scale solar, so this is not anti-solar; it’s about appropriate siting.

7.      This project is commercial, inconsistent with the intended use of the land and the neighboring residential community and is environmentally unsound. Approving it would disregard the Comprehensive Plan, misapply the zoning code, and risk long-term harm to the community as well as protected farmland and wetlands.

ACTIONS you can take:

1.      Attend the JPC meeting on Tuesday, December 9th!

2.      Contact members of the zoning commission in advance of the meeting on Dec 9th to register your opposition. Email addresses are below:

Joint Plan Commission Members are as follows:

·       Westport (John Cuccia, Dennis Tande, Mark Crowell): send to  banderson@townofwestport.org

·       Susan Springman- saspringman@gmail.com

·       Melissa Hunt- huntmelissam@gmail.com

·       Brian Wallace- brianwallace1232@gmail.com