Wind and Solar Leasing in Wexford County, Michigan: The Shipyard Solar Project and State Preemption

The Shipyard Solar Project: a large, currently contested proposal

Shipyard Solar, an affiliate of the Chicago-based renewable energy developer Ranger Power, has proposed a large utility-scale solar project straddling the Wexford and Grand Traverse county line near Buckley, tied into an existing high-voltage transmission line. The project was initially described as a 300-megawatt solar installation on roughly 1,800 fenced acres; the company's more recent public description describes a larger build of up to 375 megawatts of solar paired with up to 375 megawatts of battery energy storage. The developer states the land is being leased voluntarily from local farmers, with no use of eminent domain -- consistent with how most utility-scale solar and wind projects in Michigan are actually assembled, through negotiated leases with willing landowners rather than forced acquisition.

Local zoning said no -- but a 2024 state law may let the project proceed anyway

The Wexford Joint Planning Commission turned down a rezoning request tied to the project. Under Michigan's zoning law as it existed for decades, that kind of local denial would typically have been close to the end of the story for a project needing rezoning to proceed. But Michigan's Public Act 233, effective in late 2024, changed the picture for utility-scale renewable energy specifically: it lets developers of qualifying wind, solar, and energy-storage projects seek siting approval directly from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), a state regulatory body, bypassing a local government's zoning denial. Reporting on the Shipyard Solar project and comparable proposals in the region (including a related project across the county line in Grand Traverse County) confirms this is precisely the path being pursued here as local opposition and legal responses continue to develop.

This is a genuinely significant and fairly new dynamic for Michigan land buyers to understand: local township or joint-commission zoning denial of a utility-scale wind or solar project is no longer necessarily the final word the way it once was. If you're evaluating land anywhere near a proposed large-scale renewable project in Wexford County -- or considering leasing your own land for one -- confirm the project's current status directly with the MPSC and the relevant local planning body, since PA 233's state-level review path is actively reshaping how these disputes get resolved.

What this means if you own land near the project

• Confirm the project's current status directly -- as of the most recent reporting available for this page, local opposition (including hired legal counsel by affected townships and Grand Traverse County) was actively responding to the MPSC review pathway, so the outcome was not yet settled.
• If you're near the project footprint but not a lease participant, ask specifically about the storage component (up to 375 MW of battery storage has been described) in addition to the solar array itself, since battery storage facilities carry their own separate siting, fire-safety, and decommissioning considerations distinct from a solar array alone.
• Understand that a state MPSC approval under PA 233, if granted, would supersede a local zoning denial for this specific project -- so a parcel's current local zoning designation may not be the final determinant of what gets built nearby.

What this means if you're considering leasing your own land

The Shipyard Solar developer's own description -- voluntary leases with local farmers, no eminent domain -- reflects how these deals typically work: a landowner negotiates a lease directly with the developer, and the property continues to be owned (not sold) by the landowner while hosting the solar array or storage infrastructure for the lease term. If you're a landowner in the affected area considering a similar lease, request and review the full lease agreement before signing -- payment structure (per-acre, escalating, or otherwise), lease term and any renewal options, decommissioning and land-restoration obligations at the end of the lease, and how the agreement handles a future sale of your property (whether the lease transfers to a new owner and under what terms) are the specific items worth scrutinizing, ideally with an attorney experienced in renewable-energy leases rather than relying on the developer's summary alone.