King George Board defers decision after hours of public comment on Gibson Solar project

The King George County Board of Supervisors opened a public hearing on April 2 on a special-exception permit for Gibson Solar LLC and OpenRoad Renewables to build a 134-megawatt solar energy facility on about 890 acres in the Shiloh District, then voted to defer a final decision until June.

Supporters and opponents packed the boardroom for more than four hours of comment. OpenRoad representatives described the project as a utility-scale facility designed to remain zoned agricultural, include a sheep-grazing operation beneath panels, and place hundreds of acres under deed restrictions they described as permanent conservation. "Gibson Solar is a 134-megawatt solar project," project presenter Ryan Gilchrist told the board, adding the company intends to use terrain-following racking, avoid wetlands, and record deed restrictions on purchased parcels.

The project team said roughly 1,300 acres would be purchased and restricted to agricultural/forestry uses and roughly 890 acres would host arrays and grazing. OpenRoad emphasized mitigation measures in a conditional permit package that includes setbacks, a five-year landscaping surety and requirements for decommissioning surety and…