Hi Neighbors-
The JPC will now meet Monday (Feb 23rd) at 5:30 pm at the Westport Town Hall, 5387 Mary Lake Road, Waunakee, WI 53597 to make a decision on the OneEnergy Six-Mile Solar application.
Although I do not believe that they will allow public comment, please plan to attend as we need to let the decision makers know that we do not want this application approved. Numbers of attendees matter!
ACTIONS you can take in advance of the meeting:
1. Contact members of the joint planning commission to register your opposition. Email addresses and key issues are below.
Joint Plan Commission Members are as follows:
Westport members:
· John Cuccia, Dennis Tande, Mark Crowell: send to banderson@townofwestport.org
Waunakee Members:
· Susan Springman- saspringman@gmail.com
· Melissa Hunt- huntmelissam@gmail.com
· Brian Wallace- brianwallace1232@gmail.com
Key Issues:
1. Solar Facilities Are Not Authorized Conditional Uses in A-1 Zoning and therefore the Conditional Use Permitting Process Is Legally Inapplicable
2. State Law Does Not Override Local Zoning (Wis. Stat. § 66.0401)
3. The land is not suitable for the proposed use: The proposed site is primarily wetlands which provides grounds for denying the application.
a. Placing a solar field over wetlands typically requires draining and/or filling the wetlands, - essentially transitioning a wetland into a meadow ecosystem.
b. 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, connect to Lake Mendota via manmade channels, and eventually connect to the Yahara chain of lakes.
c. The Wetlands Delineation report filed by OneEnergy fails to meet the standards of NR 103.08(2) and NR 299.03, which require evaluation under normal hydrologic conditions. The report submitted was collected during drought conditions which understated the wetland boundaries, resulting in a misleading environmental baseline. An application founded on defective environmental data cannot be deemed complete or valid for review.
4. There are no real benefits to Westport or Waunakee. The energy will go into the MG&E grid. Neither Waunakee or Westport receive electric energy from MG&E. Waunakee will collect a total of about $17K per year for this project.
5. 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 the proposed area so it is likely that they will eventually build out the entire area if this project is passed. It will be difficult to block future development if this proposal is permitted.
6. 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.
a. 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 each residence in Savannah Village estimated to be $52,000 (range of $27K to 103K).
7. The proposed land use violates the intent of the Waunakee comprehensive plan. The proposed site was designated as rural preservation land with development limitations (due to wetlands) 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.
8. The character of the community will be permanently altered. Many residents bought their homes specifically for the rural, agricultural setting—often paying a premium for that environment.
9. Wildlife will be displaced and endangered. The proposed site supports coyotes, deer, owls, eagles, fox, cranes, turkeys, and extensive songbird and waterfowl populations. Its proximity to Cherokee Marsh—critical habitat for migratory birds including the endangered whooping crane—makes it especially sensitive. Solar panels can disorient birds, causing collisions or migration disruptions, and the required 8-foot exclusion fence would block natural movement, pushing wildlife into surrounding neighborhoods and increasing risks to animals, pets, and property.
10. Health, safety, and quality of life will suffer. Commercial-scale solar installations are rarely sited near homes for good reason. Transformers, inverters, and cooling systems generate persistent noise linked to anxiety, elevated blood pressure, and other health impacts. Solar plant fires pose additional risks: panels retain electrical current even when shut off, creating electrocution hazards for first responders. As a result, these fires are often allowed to burn, releasing toxic chemicals into the air and soil