Burke County Commission Hears Mixed Response on Red Branch Solar Conditional‑use Request

The Burke County Board of Commissioners considered a conditional‑use permit for the proposed Red Branch Solar Farm, a project sited on multiple parcels along Jack Delagel and Sun Delagel roads that the county planning staff says meets current Land Development Code standards.

Planning consultant Scott Lee told the board the planning commission held public hearings and recommended approval of the conditional‑use permit by a 4–1 vote. Scott Lee said the application “meets all the requirements of the regulations in the Land Development Code” on design, setbacks and buffers.

The developer requested two exceptions in the permit: a 60‑month period to apply for a building permit and a reduced fence height from 10 feet to 7 feet. AES development manager Evan Halloran told the commission the project includes wildlife corridors that run along several creeks and that state law and the lease will require the owner to decommission and remove panels at end of life. Halloran said financial assurance and bond instruments will cover decommissioning if the owner defaults.

Several neighbors spoke against the project. A landowner who identified himself as Brian Adams said he owns one of the parcels and stated he supported approval. Other residents raised concerns about visual impacts and the effectiveness of landscape buffers, citing a nearby solar installation where they said buffers had not matured. One speaker warned that the county risked losing agricultural land and described the visual result on neighboring properties as “a mess.”

Commissioners debated the tradeoffs of siting utility‑scale solar in an agricultural county. After discussion, Commissioner Nicks moved to approve the conditional‑use permit for Red Branch Solar as specified in the packet; Commissioner Lively seconded the motion. The transcript records members asking for oppositions and at least one commissioner stating a vote against the permit because of concerns about landscape change in North Burke; the transcript does not record a line‑by‑line vote tally in the public minutes.

The application will proceed with the buffers and setbacks to be reviewed again at permit stage if the board’s approval is confirmed in the official minutes and permitting process.

The permit request also prompted discussion about decommissioning logistics: Halloran said panels would be shipped out of county for recycling (he cited a recycling facility in Texas) and estimated removal and site restoration would take about a year after operations cease. He said bonds and lease obligations would be used to ensure removal if the owner became defunct.