The San Diego County Planning Commission on Friday approved the Starlight Solar project with a unanimous 7-0 vote — despite pushback from some residents.
At nearly 600 acres, it’s one of the largest solar and battery storage projects in the county and would transform large sections of natural space nestled between Old Highway 80 and the U.S.-Mexico border.
Boulevard community members made the hour-plus drive to the County Administration Center in downtown to share their concerns about the impact on the environment and local water resources. Many are also worried about the fire hazards associated with battery storage systems.
The project is part of the green energy boom that has begun to reshape the backcountry following state, county and city goals to reduce carbon emissions and produce clean energy sources.
Community members in Boulevard say the large clean energy projects can have tangible impacts on the surrounding communities and natural landscapes.
Gregory Forrest and his wife attended the Planning Commission meeting. Forrest has lived in Boulevard for 13 years.
“Me and my wife have worked all our lives. I just recently retired. My wife’s been retired for two years. We wanted to come out to the rural area so we can be in a quieter environment,” Forrest said in an interview with KPBS.
But he worries about how the project will transform the land surrounding his home.
“When you take the environment away … it’s not the way it was,” Forrest said.
However, some Boulevard residents, like Mara Harris, left the meeting feeling a sense of relief because of the Planning Commission’s additional requirements for the project.
“To say it plainly, I’m feeling more positive leaving this meeting than the concern when I arrived,” Harris said.
Community flags fire concerns
A primary concern for the Boulevard community is the potential fire hazards.
Boulevard is already in a CAL Fire-designated High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and recent fires have already broken out at battery storage facilities in Otay Mesa and Escondido.
The project includes a fire protection plan, and the applicant conducted a plume study in order to determine how a battery fire could impact the surrounding area.
However, community members on Friday claimed there were problems with the study, noting that the wind conditions used in the plume study did not match environmental conditions in Boulevard. Jeff Osborne, a business owner in Jacumba, also said the community did not have enough time to review excerpts of the plume study before the Planning Commission meeting.
The commissioners ultimately required another review of the plume study. They also asked to have the batteries in the second phase of the project moved as far away from the community as possible.
The project’s land-use consultant, Jim Whalen, said the project applicant will look at relocating the phase two batteries.
Harris said those actions and other requirements from the Planning Commission gave her some reassurance.
“I think actually the commissioners have heard from us,” Harris said.
Commission seeks additional changes
Residents’ concerns go beyond fire safety.
Boulevard’s community leaders gave a presentation to the Planning Commission outlining other requests for changes to the project based on the impacts they’ve seen from a recent solar project in nearby Jacumba.
The Planning Commission asked the developer to implement the following changes:
- Increase the setback distance of the project from surrounding roads and existing homes.
- Require a water retention basin.
- Implement dust control measures and independent monitoring during construction.
- Increase the amount of money the applicant would be required to invest in the community in phase one
Community members and the developer have been at odds, however, over what that community reinvestment would look like. Residents have asked for a $7 million fund that the community could spend at its discretion. The developer, on the other hand, has proposed a plan to refurbish a local resource center and offer potential electricity bill reimbursements for residents who qualify.
The land is owned by the Haagen Company, which has an extensive real-estate development portfolio in Southern California, including the polo fields where the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival happens every year.
Whalen said he is satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.
“A seven to nothing vote is very telling,” Whalen said. “If both sides are declaring happiness with the outcome, that’s unusual. We call that a win-win.”
But some Boulevard residents like Forrest say they’ll continue to voice their opposition.
“I don't care about the money that's coming to the community,” Forrest said. “I would like to see it be totally stopped because it's not good for the environment.”
A county spokesperson said the County Board of Supervisors will vote on the project on Sept. 16.
