TIFTON — A request for an exception for a solar farm project drew concerns from county commissioners during their most recent meeting.

The petition in question proposed the development of a 34.3 acre solar farm on 55.52 acres of land, located on Oakridge Church Road. Chris Davis, development support services director, explained that a solar farm could only be built on the property, which is currently zoned Wholesale Light Industrial, through the approval of a special exception.

Davis said that as of now the property was nothing but an open field, with the remaining acreage not being used for the solar farm planned to be converted into woodland. He also confirmed that the plan had met all requirements of county ordinances.

Commissioner Melissa Hughes was wary of approval, concerned that the county would only continue receiving special requests of increasingly lax allowance, as well as concerns over the responsibility of the applicants to clean up and dismantle the farms once they were finished with the property.

Davis confirmed that the county’s ordinances required any companies building a solar farm in the county to both properly maintain the property while occupying it as well as dismantling their farms once they decided to leave.

Paul Webb, District 3 commissioner, was interested to look into the acceptable acreage threshold policies of other counties, so as to form a potential safeguard against allowing any future solar farms too big for the community, but was told by Davis that while the county could create a cap, applications could still be submitted to the city unless the municipalities formed a joint agreement.

Hughes expressed interest in speaking with the city about this coalition, while county manager Jim Carter requested Davis look further into the legal procedures for the acreage threshold and assured the board they would have ample information to come to a clearer conclusion at their March 11.