Silicon Ranch will host a public community meeting next week to share information and answer questions about its proposed solar project in rural north Baldwin County's Stockton community.

The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at the John R. Rhodes Civic Center, 301 D'Olive St. in Bay Minette. Organizers said the event will include a presentation about the project followed by an open question-and-answer session with company representatives.

According to the company, the meeting is intended to provide residents with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed project and ask questions directly to Silicon Ranch officials. Members of the Stockton and Baldwin County community are invited to attend.

The Stockton 4,500-acre utility-scale solar project has drawn increased attention in recent weeks as local and state leaders discuss legislation related to large-scale solar developments in Alabama. Lawmakers, locally including state Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Atmore, and Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, have proposed several bills that could impact how solar facilities are reviewed and regulated, including measures that would allow county oversight and potentially pause certain projects while questions about environmental and community impacts are evaluated. The site is privately owned in a planning district that is unzoned, which means the county has limited control over land use.

The land is tied to a renewable energy agreement supporting Meta Platform's data center in Montgomery and would be developed by Silicon Ranch. The project has drawn strong opposition from residents who cite concerns about wetlands, waterways connected to the Tensaw Delta.

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.