FAYETTE TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – Solar developer Ranger Power has filed a lawsuit in the Hillsdale County Circuit Court against Fayette Township and its planning commission.
The legal complaint challenges the local board’s unanimous 4–0 decision to deny a special land use permit for the proposed Heartwood Solar II project, a 140-megawatt, utility-scale facility slated to cover roughly 1,350 acres of agricultural land near Jonesville. In the court filing, the Chicago-based developer argues that the local planning commission acted arbitrarily and capriciously.
The company alleges that local officials ignored explicit provisions in the township’s newly adopted Compatible Renewable Energy Ordinance, which was designed to outline a clear framework for placing utility-scale energy projects within the municipality.
The permit denial followed months of intense public backlash from Hillsdale County residents, community groups like No Solar Fayette, and representatives from Hillsdale College.
Opponents successfully packed local meetings to voice concerns over the conversion of active farmland, potential property devaluation, environmental safety regarding local waterways, and the disruption of the community’s rural landscape.
While local officials maintained that the massive green energy infrastructure did not comply with local zoning standards, Ranger Power’s lawsuit claims the township failed to adequately specify how the project violated those ordinances.
The litigation serves as the latest flashpoint in ongoing tensions between Michigan municipal boards exercising local control and renewable energy firms pushing to meet state clean energy goals.
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