[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6462777,"mediaKeyId","5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777","parentId",5795676,"title","Planning commission finds Summer Sweet battery storage project not in accord with Fauquier County comprehensive plan, 4-1","audioSeconds",1496,"startMs",1001000,"endMs",2497000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777&start=1001&end=2497","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777/thumbnail_1001000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6462777/Fauquier-County/Virginia/Planning-commission-finds-Summer-Sweet-battery-storage-project-not-in-accord-with-Fauquier-County-comprehensive-plan-4-1","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462777-7ffc8acc5a70d241d752733907c1e92d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770962290&Signature=OqlGCE-pif9nqB5ztKnOJ51rpXjv~GpG8n2sIIjxMOXZRJcm4N7EAT8Ers6r2PoUmQLVfqWxAsr0gfJaXrFMGTnDMBxjjCA8RwN66FLTWOJuHVp2TZLOEhsEQPuyvBgiT9e~-Hqzg9Tr6ONl6AvXISZkwSHfNgg0ruGd3khSv7MQMPMjdDMt94ByBmu0vECRsKrj~AEiYcJGGESKe0RM-hNMaY4E1lqBaokmXAyYUbu15SC83B~ESZPKO7N6SiZxvkjSU8EbduNDoTwCCouJqhVq37jxPsxrSJFE~UaZ51h9NGk3zF4-7FSfQ34dTB8f1XKcgvAlnjoy63talkpCuw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Fauquier County","date","2025-09-18T00:00:00Z","article","The Fauquier County Planning Commission on Sept. 18 voted 4–1 that the proposed Summer Sweet Energy Center, a 150-megawatt battery energy storage facility off Shipstore Road, is not substantially in accord with the county comprehensive plan.

Commissioners heard a staff presentation, testimony from the applicant and supporting experts and groups, and deliberated before the motion to find the proposal not in accord passed 4–1. The finding is a formal planning determination under the Code of Virginia and does not constitute a special-exception or building permit decision.

Staff said the entire parcel is just under 34 acres, with the proposed facility footprint about 16 acres. The site, within the Village of Morrisville, is zoned industrial park; surrounding land uses and zoning include agriculture, residential, rural residential and commercial designations and include Mary Walter Elementary School and a Dominion Energy Morrisville substation. The project description in the compliance review states the proposed facility would contain 192 individual battery enclosures (20–40 feet in length, about 10 feet high), a control house, a substation, gravel access road, stormwater management and screening walls. Anticipated construction, if a special exception were later sought and approved, would be in 2028 or later, staff said.

Eastpointe Energy, the applicant, argued the site is the only industrial parcel in the Village of Morrisville and that the facility would align with comprehensive-plan goals for locating utilities in industrial or commercial areas and for co-location with existing transmission infrastructure. In the hearing, Maggie Howe, Eastpointe Energy's director of development, summarized company commitments including 24/7 monitoring, prevention-oriented maintenance and partnerships with local first responders. Howe said the project’s peak output “is about 50,000 homes that would receive electricity or a range of around 10 miles, from the substation” and that the closet battery container to the adjacent elementary school would be “about 4 football fields” away.

James Caulfield of Fire and Risk Alliance, a fire response consultant for the applicant, described national incident data and said follow-up testing after recent battery-storage fires on other projects did not show harmful toxin levels or off-site contamination in the sampling he cited. Caulfield said a response strategy is to manage exposures and apply water intermittently rather than attempt to chemically suppress the internal battery reaction; he described containment steps used during a West Coast incident where responders later sampled contained water and found no contaminants.

Skyler Zunk, CEO of Energy Right, a clean-energy education nonprofit, told the commission that battery energy storage systems strengthen grid resilience and can reduce the need for new transmission infrastructure. Zunk said he had advised other counties and praised Fauquier County's battery storage ordinance as a model.

Several commissioners noted prior proceedings and permit history at the site: in August 2023 a rezoning and special exception for a junkyard on the property were denied by the Board of Zoning Appeals; in September 2024 Eastpointe submitted an earlier compliance review and special-exception application that the planning commission previously determined, by a 4–1 vote, was not in accord; the applicant then appealed and later withdrew the appeal in April 2025. Staff also reported that a junkyard on the site had been cleaned up and the zoning violation closed in March 2025.

In deliberations a commissioner said, “the right thing can be in the wrong place,” and that while the technology may be appropriate elsewhere, the commissioner did not believe it should be sited “between a school and a church and, you know, other places residences and where people are meant to gather.” Another commissioner said the site is industrially zoned, is near existing transmission infrastructure and is “hidden,” and therefore supported finding consistency with the plan.

The motion recorded in the meeting states the planning commission found that 1689 Shipstore Road (the project parcel) is not substantially in accord with the adopted Fauquier County comprehensive plan. The motion passed 4–1.

The commission’s determination concerns whether the project fits the comprehensive plan; if a later special-exception application is filed, it would be considered separately and could require conditions addressing screening, safety plans and co-location measures described in staff and applicant materials.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fauquier County - Planning Commission - Regular Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Fauquier County Planning Commission on Sept. 18 voted 4–1 that the proposed 150-megawatt Summer Sweet Energy Center off Shipstore Road is not substantially in accord with the county comprehensive plan.","taxTitle","Fauquier County, Virginia","taxId",30850,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6462782,"Fauquier County planning commission finds proposed Nevills Mill park in substantial accord with comprehensive plan",83,554000,637000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777&start=554&end=637","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777/thumbnail_554000.jpg","/articles/6462782/Fauquier-County/Virginia/Fauquier-County-planning-commission-finds-proposed-Nevills-Mill-park-in-substantial-accord-with-comprehensive-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462782-8f9261f2871c8d529def2e3c0752f8a3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770962290&Signature=nJoTxbLUEhM18T2qFV0FtAhGe4wVwX9hI-GZ2oiBeC292fdf05wq3AFuogB~Wv--hNmhtZ1ewr1UCveQH6v9rqp9TDL~mmtbcqAtKDmCvtTFY7m1zfMh0l~Ii3RddQaaIU7kGTKh~7LQhg00N5fX2RI2YyoE-EnKJxVgv8tiy8NrRECBr90~~jC8KuH7msgxksZSJkYW5XMc2Z0Fke-wnKWTprSBykTpciROYau6VYFsRMVcCILF5nAnWmzTxxbIFJwULBD2sPiT2CgIcCn2aA2okKkbRBvmQZS6NyIJbNtLZH7VySnfmjE~inwOURXXd7Y6nan7yFI2OSDFCp0kGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fauquier County Planning Commission on Sept. 18 voted to find a proposed passive park at the Nevills Mill site substantially in accord with the county comprehensive plan, advancing the project to any subsequent permitting steps.

The applicant, Fauquier County Parks and Recreation, asked the commission to determine whether “the general location, character, and extent” of the proposed park are substantially in accord with the comprehensive plan, as required under the Code of Virginia. The commission approved that finding by voice vote following a short staff presentation and no public speakers in opposition.

Staff told commissioners the subject parcels lie off Old Auburn Road about 4.5 miles northwest of Catlett along the north side of Cedar Run and total roughly 3.9 acres. The south parcel includes Nevills Mill; staff said the mill was rebuilt in 1962 on the site of an 18th-century gristmill and that an office building on the parcel dates to the 1980s. Staff also said approximately 2.5 acres of the parcels are within the 100-year floodplain and that the land was donated to the Board of Supervisors last year.

Fauquier County Parks and Recreation is proposing a passive park with walking trails, educational signage and reuse of the existing buildings; staff said the department expects to offer public classes and programs at the site. Gary Ropecki, director of Fauquier County Parks and Recreation, told commissioners the department has “not investigated the fishing” but has been asked to study whether kayaks or canoes could be used downstream and said any fishing work would be coordinated with the state agency (Fish and Wildlife). He added the department is working to keep parking outside the floodplain and to improve water quality.

Staff framed the parks proposal against policies in the county comprehensive plan that guide rural land use, protection of stream valleys and scenic view sheds, and pursuit of recreational trails and multi-use paths. After the hearing the planning commission voted to find the proposal in substantial accord with the comprehensive plan. A commissioner moved the finding and a second was made; the commission then voted in favor.

Commissioners and staff emphasized the application before them was a comprehensive plan compliance review only, not the same step as any special-use or building permits that could follow. The motion recorded in the meeting minutes states the commission found the project substantially in accord with the comprehensive plan.

The commission closed the item with no additional public testimony. If the county pursues park construction and programming, staff said further approvals or permits would be required before site work or events occur.","The Fauquier County Planning Commission voted to find a proposed passive park at Nevills Mill substantially in accord with the county comprehensive plan after a brief public hearing; the park would reuse existing buildings and provide walking trails and educational signage on about 3.9 acres.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6462773,"Planning commission denies Sweet Leaf Farm short-term rental special permit after neighbor complaints and prior violations",362,2607000,2969000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777&start=2607&end=2969","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5795676-307e2adf4e9005f8708d7c5bb5ec8777/thumbnail_2607000.jpg","/articles/6462773/Fauquier-County/Virginia/Planning-commission-denies-Sweet-Leaf-Farm-short-term-rental-special-permit-after-neighbor-complaints-and-prior-violations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6462773-ea467a119ceb3bba937bd1a9cc4ed816/orig.mp4?Expires=1770962290&Signature=GxT5PA5mBhXHBiv57EG3t52vsJj5WAL-f5Ywvb9EO-QPlp6NqMHjBt4KSzy7vZiYhpsceJSOnQeRks-ubu~Fh03Qqz9VKNC2Umyb6UCweeBqr3lPRDcU7SkM0qbnPs9LDJOGY5xe0ZZpjNNVX~WQqUshmbv~R7Jbz6RCwsZxvszf1EwXnrSvwCCDjmMw9NRSaYkS--n6LkXuM2b5fFmiz~ugE4VULEMETcJzVxSSVqVJQO9UPANeS9U7jZh2ivHXUEpoOKMGpRJByYCpdSDBa9Xmb-W~D6pPXzxr5B93ZGmkN9O5dEAI9GWLPkMpHd1fmJi-Bzzh1y0qKUJLK26v3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Sept. 18 the Fauquier County Planning Commission denied a category 3 special permit that would have authorized a short-term rental at Sweet Leaf Farm, a 52-acre property in Warrenton. The denial follows staff records of multiple zoning violations and sustained public complaints from a nearby resident.

Staff described the request as a short-term rental application for an existing two-bedroom dwelling with a maximum of four guests. The property is zoned agriculture. Because the owner does not live on the property for at least 183 days of the year, the use does not qualify for an administrative short-term rental permit and the applicant sought a special permit. Staff told the commission that the applicant identified a caretaker within two miles as required by the ordinance and that the online short-term rental listing had been updated to reflect a four-guest limit and no events.

Staff also reported prior enforcement actions: a notice of violation and corrective order in June 2022 for a tourist operation; a notice in May 2023 for Class C events, a firing range and occupancy of recreational vehicles; and the special-permit application and subsequent submittals in 2024–2025. Staff presented standard conditions the commission might attach if it were to approve the permit, including a four-guest maximum, no events, a designated caretaker within two miles, no provision of meals, no firing range, certification of water well testing and building code compliance, proof of registration with the commissioner of revenue and one-year permits subject to administrative renewal.

Meredith Matini (who asked to be called “Matt Matini” in the hearing) said she bought the property in February 2018 and described the dwelling as a renovated two-bedroom house on roughly 50 acres that she had listed for short-term rental after the COVID period.

Joseph Allen, an adjacent resident, told the commission he has repeatedly reported problems at the property since 2021, including ATVs on the road, late-night noise and frequent gunfire. Allen said he filed complaints with county zoning and dispatch and briefly met with the sheriff’s office about the issues. He said he had documented repeated high-volume gunfire incidents in late 2024 and early 2025 and that an April 6, 2025 event drew about 160 vehicles; he told commissioners, “I don't wanna live in Fauquier County any more.” Allen asked the commission to deny the special permit.

A commissioner moved to deny the category 3 special permit, citing multiple violations on the property and the fact the owner does not reside on the parcel; a second was made. The commission voted to deny the permit.

If the commission had approved the special permit, staff said it would have required the listed conditions (caretaker within two miles, four-guest limit, no events, water testing and building-code sign-off before use). With the denial, the short-term rental remains unauthorized and enforcement options can continue based on the county’s zoning code and any outstanding violations.","The commission denied a category 3 special permit for a short-term rental at Sweet Leaf Farm, citing repeated zoning violations, large event/traffic complaints and concerns that the owner does not reside on the property; neighbors told the commission of frequent noise, ATVs and gunfire and an April 2025 event that drew about 160 vehicles.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning commission finds Summer Sweet battery storage project not in accord with Fauquier County comprehensive plan, 4-1

Fauquier County planning commission finds proposed Nevills Mill park in substantial accord with comprehensive plan

Planning commission denies Sweet Leaf Farm short-term rental special permit after neighbor complaints and prior violations