The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission voted Thursday to deny NextEra Energy Resources’ proposed 260-acre Selma Energy Center solar project. The commission rejected all three cases related to the project: a non-major comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning request, and planned area development overlay.
The decision came after commissioners raised numerous concerns during the continued public hearing from April 17. The project would have been located at the southeast corner of South La Palma Road and East Cornman Road in unincorporated Pinal County between the cities of Coolidge and Eloy.
Project Background
NextEra Energy Resources proposed the 260-acre photovoltaic solar project as part of a larger 1,052-acre Selma Energy Center, with 792 acres already approved in the City of Coolidge. The facility would have provided 150 megawatts of solar energy through photovoltaic panels only. Kyle Whittier, director from NextEra Energy Resources, emphasized that no battery energy storage system would be included in the county portion of the project.
Ralph Pew, representing NextEra, explained the company chose this location because of its proximity to the 792 acres already approved in Coolidge and its closeness to the Vah Khi Substation.
“We’re only a couple of miles away from the substation,” Pew stated during the meeting. “So, there’s reason for this. We’re not just pulling it out of thin air.”
Ashley Johnson, NextEra Energy Resources Project Manager, emphasized, “This is a contracted project. SRP identified this as the megawatts to fulfill their demand.”
The County Island Dilemma
A significant portion of the discussion focused on the proposed project’s location in what Senior Planner Sangeeta Deokar described as “a county island that is surrounded by City of Coolidge to the north and City of Eloy to the south.”
Vice-Chairman Robert Klob expressed serious concerns about this arrangement: “The fact that it is in this small little island that is surrounded by the communities of Eloy and Coolidge, whether they should have annexed it or not, one could argue either way.”
Klob further noted the challenges these islands create: “Being good stewards as a county representative of what’s in the best interest of the community is kind of where we stand here.”
The property sits roughly nine miles from downtown Coolidge and four miles from Eloy. While only Pinal County has jurisdiction over this unincorporated land, both cities have included the area in their extended planning areas and growth boundaries in their long-term plans.
Pew argued, “Neither Coolidge nor Eloy have annexed it. They haven’t requested the property owner annex into their community. And both of them kind of overlap jurisdictions on what they think should happen to this property.”
Opposition From Neighboring Cities
Both the City of Eloy and the City of Coolidge formally opposed the project through opposition letters that were mentioned during the meeting.
According to the previous hearing report, the City of Eloy opposed the project citing concerns including its prohibition of utility-scale solar facilities north of I-10, its future planning designation of the area for estate residential, concerns about fire service coverage, and inadequate development standards for buffering and landscaping.
The City of Coolidge opposed the project from a “policy standpoint,” noting that its general plan designates the area for business, commerce, and urban neighborhood uses. Specifically, Coolidge objected that the proposed I-3 industrial zoning would be incompatible with their planning vision, noting they would not allow their highest industrial zoning in areas designated for urban neighborhood or business commerce.
Klob noted that these communities have made their opposition to additional solar developments clear: “It’s very clear that Coolidge and Eloy are tired of solar. The communities have spoken loudly within their community boundaries.”
During his final comments, Klob emphasized the commission’s responsibility to represent local interests: “I have a hard time with this knowing that both of these communities have made it loud and clear that they don’t want any more. They’ve reached solar fatigue.”
Decommissioning Concerns
The commission spent considerable time discussing the project’s decommissioning plan, which would take effect after the facility’s 25-30 year lifespan.
“I ask this because you present it every single time you present a case that it’s going to be decommissioned and put back to how the land was,” Commissioner Karen Mooney stated. “I want to understand the process and how it works before I can make a decision.”
Commissioner Tom Scott questioned whether financial responsibility for decommissioning would rest with the limited liability company created for the project or with NextEra itself. He worried the LLC might declare bankruptcy to avoid decommissioning costs.
“My fear is when we get to be three or four months away from the decommissioning… there could be a possibility in a business strategy that you just remove yourself from this liability,” Scott said.
Shane Johannsen from Kimley-Horn, who prepared the decommissioning plan, explained, “The general process would be a discing of the land after it’s done to restore that topsoil and to kind of stir things up. And then also, part of that process would be a revegetating if it’s not going to be returned back to farmland immediately.”
A key point of contention emerged when Scott noted that the decommissioning document repeatedly claimed the land would be restored to “farmland” condition, while Johannsen’s explanation suggested restoration to “potentially farmable” land depending on future use. When Commissioner Schnepf sought clarification asking, “In the end, basically the decommissioning is gonna put it back to barren land, correct?” Johnson confirmed: “Correct. We are removing all infrastructure, and we’re turning it back to its pre-solar use.”
This distinction between “farmland,” “potentially farmable,” and “barren land” revealed uncertainty about the land’s post-project condition. The decommissioning process would primarily involve infrastructure removal with some revegetation efforts, but would not guarantee restoration of agricultural productivity. The actual post-decommissioning land condition would depend entirely on future ownership decisions and may result in either farming, other development, or simply barren land with native vegetation.
Land Condition and Weed Control
Commissioners raised concerns about how the land would be maintained during the project’s life cycle and its resulting condition after decades of treatment with weed control chemicals.
Scott questioned how NextEra would manage vegetation growth and prevent dust from the disturbed soil, noting the area’s soil type (La Palma silt loam) becomes extremely fine when disturbed, creating visibility hazards during high winds.
Johnson explained their maintenance plan: “We have a total of four cuttings that we will allocate every year for the life cycle of the project.”
When pressed about chemicals for weed control, Johnson stated, “We will work with the county on an approved biodegradable weed spray.” However, she could not identify the specific product that would be used, despite NextEra operating multiple solar facilities in the region. This notable gap in the applicant’s plan became a point of concern, particularly for Commissioner Scott, who questioned how the company could present its maintenance strategy without identifying specific products currently in use at their existing facilities.
Scott expressed deep concern about the cumulative effects of decades of chemical application: “Year after year, you’re going to be spraying something on there… If the ground’s sterilized, it’s not gonna grow anything, but you’re going to go back.” He emphasized that soil treated repeatedly with weed killers over 25-30 years might no longer support bacteria and plant life: “If something’s not growing in it, there’s no bacteria in it, it’s dead. So dirt that’s sterile doesn’t grow anything.”
Regarding dust control, Johnson responded that they had dust mitigation plans that included landscape management, restricting vehicle traffic to internal roads only, and preventing personal vehicles from driving across the site. Scott continued to express concerns specifically about dust from soil under the panels, noting: “I’m talking about underneath the panels. I’m not talking about the roads because I know you put gravel on those.”
Community Meeting Issues
Scott criticized NextEra’s community outreach, pointing out their citizen meeting was held from 4:00 or 4:30 PM, making it difficult for working people to attend.
“Every citizen that wanted to participate should’ve had a right to do that at a good time,” Scott said, noting that only about 3% of notified residents attended. The transcript indicates NextEra sent notices to 127 property owners within a half-mile of the project, and “we’ve had five responses from that. And Ashley has communicated with them.” This indicates only 3-5 people engaged with the project team, representing a very low turnout.
Pew explained that the early timing was due to scheduling two meetings on the same day: “The reason the location was booked from, I think, 3:30 to 8:00, and they simply scheduled both meetings for that day.” He acknowledged the timing wasn’t ideal but noted they stayed until 7:00 or 7:30 to allow later attendance.
Johnson defended their overall approach: “We met the requirements of Pinal County for community engagement. And not only did we meet those requirements, we did go above and beyond.”
When Mooney questioned staff about meeting time requirements, county staff confirmed the code states neighborhood meetings should be conducted after 5:00 PM, suggesting the early start time did not fully comply with county standards.
What’s Next for the Project
With the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation for denial, the cases will now proceed to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors for a final decision. The Board has the authority to approve, deny, or modify the project regardless of the Commission’s recommendation, as the Commission serves in an advisory capacity.
During the meeting, when asked if the 792-acre portion in Coolidge would proceed without the county portion, NextEra indicated they hoped to move forward with the entire project but prioritized providing power to SRP.
