Cooper Township has approved new zoning rules for solar farms and regular farms.
The township says it has prospects for commercial solar plants and that it wants to clear the way. It will limit large-scale installations to industrial areas. Home-use arrays are all right in residential zones.
As for agriculture, Cooper will no longer allow farming in those residential zones, though existing farms are exempt. The township says it’s made special provisions for farming at the Kalamazoo Nature Center.
The township says the new rules bring it in line with state guidelines on agriculture.