STOCKTON — The Stockton Civic Club overflowed Monday night as hundreds of residents, many standing shoulder to shoulder, listened to and voiced concerns about a proposed solar development that would transform thousands of acres of timberland and wetlands in rural North Baldwin.

The project includes two large-scale solar fields planned near the intersection of Interstate 65 and State Highway 59.

As first reported by Lagniappe, the more than 4,500 acres are tied to Meta Platforms’ expanding data center campus in Montgomery. The Alabama Public Service Commission approved the projects in December, linking them to Dotier LLC, a Meta subsidiary.

Together, the solar fields are expected to generate 260 megawatts of capacity and are scheduled to be operational by the end of 2028. The land has been acquired by Silicon Ranch, a Nashville-based solar development company, which will construct the facilities and connect them to Alabama Power’s grid, selling them the electricity. Meta will purchase the renewable energy rights from the projects, allowing the power to offset electricity used at its Montgomery data center.

Many residents said they were unaware of the project until after state approval.

“You are here because you recognize how the destruction of 4,500 acres of forest and wetlands affects us all,” said Meagan Fowler, co-founder of Stop Solar in Stockton, a Facebook group created to discuss the project. “It affects our wildlife, our ecosystem, and therefore us as humans and all the generations of our families that come after us.”

Fowler said the land is part of the Tensaw Delta, often referred to as “America’s Amazon” because of its biodiversity, and warned that development could threaten critical natural resources.

“We are fighting to protect our wetlands, to protect the Delta and, by extension, the [Mobile] Bay,” she said. “We are responsible for what our grandchildren will inherit.”

Nick Williams, managing editor of Great Days Outdoors Media, said the land represents both environmental value and deep community history.

“This community sits on some of the deepest history in Alabama,” Williams said. “This is a small town, not an unimportant town. There are people here tonight whose families have been here for more than 200 years.”

He also emphasized that the energy produced would not directly benefit Stockton.

“In simple terms, this land is being permanently altered to solve an energy problem somewhere else,” Williams said.

While residents expressed frustration and fear over the project’s impact, Silicon Ranch executives said the company is focused on long-term stewardship and community investment and that public engagement began only after state approvals confirmed the project could move forward.

“We founded this company around solar infrastructure as a meaningful part of economic development for communities where we locate,” Silicon Ranch President and CEO Reagan Farr said.

Farr said the Stockton location was selected due to suitable land and access to transmission infrastructure needed to deliver power across Alabama Power’s system.

“You’ve got to find a place that you can interconnect the solar facility to and that has transmission capacity to get the power wherever it needs to go,” he said.

He also pushed back against concerns about environmental damage.

“Part of our mission is we don’t disturb wetlands,” Farr said. “We keep them as buffers and maintain them; We design our plants really thinking about how we can best integrate into each particular site’s ecosystem.”

The company's chief commercial officer, Matt Beasley, said regulatory hurdles and grid studies had to be completed before the company could move forward.

“The Public Service Commission approval was the last of several hurdles that we have to clear in terms of project viability,” Beasley said.

“Last thing we want to do is spin up the community and local officials about a major capital investment and then not be able to follow through with that promise,” he said.

Company leaders said the project is designed for a roughly 40-year lifespan and would bring construction jobs, tax revenue and minimal day-to-day impact once operational.

The development is moving forward on land located in an un-zoned area of Baldwin County, limiting local oversight.

"Under Alabama state law, the Baldwin County Commission does not have the authority to regulate land use on private property located in unincorporated, un-zoned areas of the county," a statement on the commission's Facebook page reads, as of Feb. 6. "However, the county does require a land disturbance permit (as authorized under Alabama law) for all properties, including those in un-zoned areas, when wetlands are present or when there is probable exposure to flooding. This permitting process is used to regulate filling, grading, dredging and other land-disturbing activities that could increase flood damage or erosion."

According to the post, the county had not received a permit application related to the project.

The county's flood protection ordinance also applies countywide, including in un-zoned areas, which "requires land disturbance permits and stormwater management plans for projects involving wetlands or flood-prone areas." These requirements are enforced by county staff.

Despite company assurances, community opposition remains strong.

“They underestimated Stockton,” Fowler said.

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.