It took an hour and a half and was almost tabled, but Rowan County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a conditional use permit for a solar farm at 12700 Statesville Boulevard.

The approved solar farm, proposed by Statesville Solar, would be built just west of Cleveland’s city limits. It would be on 64 acres of land between Statesville Boulevard and Old U.S. Highway 70. Site plans for the solar farm show two groups of solar panels on the northern side of Statesville Boulevard. Rowan County Senior Planner Shane Stewart estimated the total area of the two groups of panels, combined, was 25 acres.

Shortly after Stewart gave a brief overview of the proposal, four attendees — three of whom represented Statesville Solar — gave testimony during a quasi-judicial hearing.

At times, the hearing became heated. Statesville Solar’s attorney twice objected to testimony presented by Brian Moerman, who owns The Arbors events center. County Attorney Jay Dees served as a sort of judge, deciding whether testimony during the quasi-judicial hearing was too opinionated. The final approval included a measure that would increase the total amount of buffer space required between the solar panels and property lines.

Among other things, Moerman’s business hosts weddings and events. It’s located within eyesight of the approved solar farm. He pointed to the higher elevation of the solar site, compared to his own property, as a reason why the solar panels could be a nuisance. In agenda attachments, the panels were cited as being 10 feet high.

“They are going to throw it in there, go back to California, go back to Florida and like they said it’s a passive facility,” Moerman said. “Nobody shows up to fertilize it. Nobody shows up to water it. And with all these plants they put in, what’s going to happen when they die?”

He added that 60 percent of weddings at The Arbors Events Center are booked between mid-November and Valentine’s Day.

“I’m showing my venue when there’s no leaves on the trees,” Moerman said. “”I’ll be exposed to all of that. My business is going to fail.”

Despite Moerman’s claims, Statesville Solar repeatedly argued the solar farm wouldn’t have a negative effect — sound or sight — on Moerman’s business. At one point, Vice Chairman Jim Greene, who lives in Cleveland, questioned whether the solar panels would result in a bright, distracting glare for drivers. Statesville Solar said glare would not be an issue. Statesville Solar also stressed the economic investment compared to needed utilities and traffic for a solar farm.

One monetary figure cited during the meeting was $20,000 to $40,000 in tax revenue per year.

Moerman’s claims of a potential negative impact on his business were compelling enough for Greene to propose tabling the idea after the board closed the quasi-judicial hearing. Commissioner Mike Caskey also said he would support a tabling for additional research. It never became a formal motion.

After lengthy discussion among commissioners, the quasi-judicial hearing was reopened to gather more information. The owner of the solar farm property, Jay Snover, spoke briefly during the second portion of the hearing. Snover said previous people interested in the property asked about mobile homes and cattle grazing.

“Other than that it’s been just crickets,” he said.

Commissioners called a recess while Statesville Solar representatives met with Moerman to discuss an additional condition on the conditional use permit. The condition required an increased buffer between the solar panels and the end of the property.

“Thank you very much for your corporate citizenship, for being flexible,” Chairman Greg Edds said after the permit passed. “We hope you come back to our county and invest again.”

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246