Mecklenburg planning commission denies Antlers Road 90-MW solar project after lengthy public hearing

The Mecklenburg County Planning Commission on a recorded vote denied a comprehensive-plan review for the proposed Antlers Road solar project, a 90-megawatt facility and associated substation and switchyard that would use about 490 acres of disturbance on roughly 1,009 leased acres.

The project proponent, Natalie Gerber, senior manager of development at RWE Clean Energy, told the commission the company reconfigured its proposal after a 2022 denial to reduce prime farmland impact to about 220 acres, enlarge setbacks from Mines Creek to 300 feet and increase the setback from Antlers Road to 200 feet. Gerber said the application would include a decommissioning bond, on-site sheep grazing for vegetation management, pollinator plantings, and a proposed energy credit program that would pay about $50 per month for five years to 50–60 neighboring households.

Commissioners denied the application on the grounds it was not in substantial compliance with the county’s comprehensive plan. The motion cited the site’s inclusion in mapped high-priority forest and ecological core areas, high…