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MARSHALL COUNTY, Ind. -- A little more than a year ago, Marshall County rejected plans for a solar project in Union Township.
The board of zoning appeals struck down the project with a four to one vote, and Thursday, ABC57 got more insight as to why they voted the way that they did.
The solar energy center would have been a farm with enough electricity to power nearly 30, 000 homes, and would've provided almost 200 construction jobs, but while all those things sound great, the idea didn't come without its potential drawbacks.
Tuesday's meeting of the board of zoning appeals lasted around 20 minutes, and members of the board shed some light on last year's decision.
One member listed the intense noise factor as a reason for why the project was not approved.
However, one of the main things emphasized in the meeting, was making sure the rural nature of Marshall County doesn't get disturbed.
"Our most open space, wooded, hunting, we've got a lot of state owned ground over there and that was one of the things I was concerned about with the project, basically, sandwiched either side of the yellow river and it developed fencing and would block animal movement.," said Trent Bennett, a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The board also cited a submission from a homeowner whose house is nearby the proposed project site.
The homeowner said they felt mislead, since they thought they were buying a house surrounded by farmland, not solar panels.