Detroit City Council greenlights controversial solar plan

• Resident groups volunteered their areas to house new solar development in exchange for community benefits, including energy-efficiency improvements to nearby homes and buyouts for residents in the solar footprint.

The latest: On Tuesday, City Council approvals included land acquisition, $14 million in funding for the solar initiative, and contracts with two solar operators, DTE and Lightstar Renewables.

• Council President Mary Sheffield and member Angela Whitfield-Calloway voted against all items, while member Gabriela Santiago-Romero objected to just the DTE contract and the agreement to acquire and condemn property for the solar fields. The other members voted in favor.

Friction point: Supportive council members like Scott Benson and in-favor residents see the initiative as a way to clean up blight and reduce crime that occurs around vacant homes, while boosting the city's reputation for clean energy.

• Sheffield said even though she supports solar energy, she voted no because the plan needs more time.

• She believes zoning changes need to be made first, or other options explored for solar energy, so that the city isn't open to litigation over potentially using residential-zoned land incorrectly and its use of eminent domain.

The city's law department says it's confident it's in the right, but City Council also received a second opinion from an outside law firm that isn't public.

What's next: Planning commission staff and other city officials have started meeting on how to change zoning rules to permit future neighborhood solar use. They plan to discuss the issue at a Sept. 5 meeting.