Residents weigh in on Cold Creek Solar Park in Coldwater Township

QUINCY, Mich. — DTE Energy and Ford Motor Company broke ground on Cold Creek Solar Park in Coldwater Township on Tuesday morning.

It is the second solar park in Branch County that DTE has helped construct, with the Sauk Solar Park in Union City being the first.

DTE, Ford, local officials, and landowners maintain that the park will bring economic prosperity to the area.

“I’m very appreciative to DTE for what they’ve done for our township,” Coldwater Township Supervisor Donald Rogers said.

DTE and Ford also said there are not expected to be any negative impacts to the environment.

However, some residents in Quincy and the surrounding area told News Channel 3 they are still upset about the park’s construction.

“This is going to sit there and do nothing,” Aaron Farmer, who has lived in Quincy for over 20 years, said. “So, the money from our community is going into places like this, creating an eye sore and killing natural habitat for animals, and for what?”

While residents understand that the goal of the solar park is for Ford to reduce their carbon emissions and reach their goals of carbon neutrality by 2050, the park’s construction still gives them pause and believe investments in the area could go elsewhere.

“It seems nice because they’re trying to cut carbon emissions, but it doesn’t seem nice at the same time, because you have all this stuff that could be put into the ground that’s not good for it,” Issaiah Gibbs said. “I believe they should be planting trees in these spots.”

DTE released a statement to News Channel 3 in regards to residents’ concerns.

The statement is as follows:

DTE’s Cold Creek Solar Park is funded by voluntary DTE customer enrollments in its MIGreenPower program. There are no cost implications for local residents, and in fact, the park will generate significant tax revenues for the community – millions of dollars that can go toward local priorities like roads, schools, first responders and other vital services. There will also be no impact on land surrounding the development, and at the end of the park’s expected lifespan (approximately 25 years), DTE will restore the land to its original condition. Throughout the planning and development of the park, DTE has worked closely with local officials, and we look forward to being a good neighbor and partner with the community for years to come.

The park is expected to be completed in late 2026.