Fauquier County planning staff on Oct. 16 presented a category 20 special exception application to expand the existing Morrisville substation, citing upgrades to accommodate new 230 kV and 500 kV transmission lines. The substation sits on a property of just under 43 acres off Shipstore Road in the Summerduck area; the applicant seeks approximately a 3‑acre expansion to an existing roughly 10‑acre facility. Adjoining uses identified by staff included Mary Walter Elementary School, the Morrisville Collection Site and several residential and industrial uses.

Staff described proposed mitigation measures: a 25‑foot double staggered row of evergreens on the eastern property line (the zoning ordinance requires a 30‑foot landscape buffer), preservation and supplemental planting in a 30‑foot buffer along the northern, western and southern property lines, and a retaining wall and high security fencing around the expansion area. The applicant proposes a roughly 17.5‑foot masonry retaining wall and a 20‑foot mesh security fence; planting heights were limited by the applicant to a maximum 15 feet at maturity, which the applicant cited as a line‑sag safety requirement related to transmission clearances. Staff noted the proposed plantings would not be placed where required to accommodate transmission towers or access.

Staff said Dominion Energy indicated the expansion would accommodate upgrades to existing 230 kV and 500 kV terminal equipment and termination of new lines to maintain reliability under NERC reliability standards and PJM transmission planning criteria. Commissioners asked whether the applicant had been asked to place existing overhead lines underground per Chapter 9 of the county comprehensive plan; staff said the transmission project is separate from the substation expansion. Commissioners pressed for clarity about the proposed retaining wall, the fence on top of the wall and whether the landscaping heights adequately screen the facility given a potential effective fence height of several dozen feet above neighboring grades. Staff said they had discussed the concern with Dominion and the applicant’s engineer but had not received a substantive response about increasing landscaping heights.

Staff reported several public comment letters had been received expressing concerns similar to those summarized in the uploaded correspondence. Dominion representatives attended the meeting but commissioners agreed to reserve applicant testimony for the formal public hearing. No formal action was taken at the work session; the item will proceed through the county’s public hearing and site plan process.