Energy company appealing zoning to move forward with solar & battery project in Huntingburg

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. (WFIE) — The Huntingburg Board of Zoning Appeals denied an appeal tied to an ongoing proposed Crossvine and solar project in Huntingburg.

Citizens tell us part of the previous agreement required all permits to be acquired and construction to begin within two years for the Crossvine Solar and Battery Project.

They say those conditions weren’t met, so the project could not move forward.

In tonight’s public hearing, city officials say the issue centers on whether the project’s development plan had expired.

The company behind the project, AES Corporation, argued it had been continuously working on engineering and planning for the development since its 2023 approval.

Opponents say no construction or key permits were obtained within the 2 year requirement, meaning the plan development expired.

After hearing from concerning residents that live near the vicinity and witnessing no development progress, the board voted to deny the appeal.

“I can understand that they don’t want that in their neighborhoods but, same thing with solar, same thing with home building, everything else we gotta follow our own development ordinance and decisions we make need to be impartial. They have property rights too,” says Mayor Neil Elkins. “It’s a situation where not everybody is going to be happy in the end.”

Crossvine and solar project have the option of coming back and applying for the original building permit that was in place 2023, the time of the original application.

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