CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — After hours of hearing from more than 40 speakers, along with presentations by staff and Alliant Energy representatives, the Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission decided it needed more information to assess Alliant’s rezoning request for its proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center.
More than 150 people attended the commission’s meeting Sept. 28, 2026, at the Hotel at Kirkwood Center to discuss rezoning property at 12201 16th Ave. SW, in rural Cedar Rapids, currently owned by Boland Farms, LTD, from Agricultural (AG) to Exclusive Use-2 (EU-2) for Alliant’s gas-fired power plant.
The 720 megawatt plant would be built on 55 acres, now part of a 160-acre plot of high quality farmland, west of Cedar Rapids, near the corner of Highway 30 and the Linn-Benton Road.
A crowd listens during the Linn County Planning & Zoning Commission meeting on Sept. 28, 2026. (photo/Cindy Hadish)…