Planning Commission approves Oak Lane solar special-use permit, sends recommendation to Board of Supervisors

Prince Edward County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a special‑use permit for the Oak Lane Solar Farm, a proposed 5‑megawatt facility that applicants say would place roughly 60 acres of solar panels on privately owned parcels near Route 360. The commission found the proposal “substantially in accord” with the county comprehensive plan and forwarded the application and conditions to the County Board of Supervisors for action on April 8.

The Oak Lane application, filed by CEP Solar (Commonwealth Energy Partners), is described in the packet as a proposal to construct and operate a 5 MW facility on three parcels the application lists as totaling 194.8 acres; the applicant later said the three parcels combined are under 90 acres and that the preliminary panel layout would occupy about 60 acres. The applicant said the site would be built with vegetative buffers and a decommissioning bond and that the facility would interconnect to nearby distribution lines without a new substation.

Why it matters: the commission’s decision clears the project to advance to the Board of Supervisors with conditions that the commission must enforce if the board approves. Neighbors and conservation advocates raised concerns about visibility, stream buffers, erosion and long‑term stewardship; the commission added and accepted a condition to increase the buffer around the identified creek to 100 feet and included standard decommissioning and bonding requirements to assure removal and site restoration.

CEP Solar managers presented site and mitigation plans. “We are a Virginia‑based small business, with our focus on partnering with landowners who want to host solar projects at their properties,” said Tyson Hutt, a company cofounder and manager. Project manager Harry Kingery described environmental and cultural due diligence, saying database reviews had not revealed threatened species or known cultural resources and that state agencies (DEQ, DWR, DHR) would be engaged during permitting. Kingery and the applicant team said the project would use native pollinator seed mixes and a bond to cover decommissioning.

Public commenters spoke both for and against the proposal. Owner Darren Reeves, who said his family owns two of the parcels, urged approval and described long‑term stewardship of the land: “This family is not… leaving our family, whether this comes up or not,” he said, adding that he believed the project could coexist with hunting and other uses. Opponents including residents and a Farm Bureau representative raised concerns about property values, runoff into Mountain Creek and downstream waters, visibility from Route 360 and the 40‑year term of the land lease.

Planning commissioners debated whether the application met the statutory standard that the use be in substantial accord with the county comprehensive plan. Commissioners noted the county is revising the comprehensive plan and that solar is not specifically addressed in the current (2014) plan; the applicant argued the zoning ordinance implementing the plan allows solar by special‑use permit and that the current plan’s goals of preserving open space and protecting environmental resources support the application. The commission ultimately voted to find substantial accord and to recommend approval, with conditions including a 100‑foot creek buffer amendment and limits on disturbance (cap of 50% disturbance at any one time) among standard requirements for buffers, stormwater erosion and a decommissioning bond.

Votes at a glance: the planning commission recorded votes by last name in the meeting: Hogan — yes; Gilliam — no; Fuller — yes (moved amendment for a 100‑foot creek buffer); Perry — yes; Wise — no; Page — yes; chairman — yes. The motion to recommend approval carried and the commission will forward its recommendation to the County Board of Supervisors for final action on April 8.

The applicant said technical steps remain: final panel procurement (vendor not yet selected), a Dominion Energy interconnection study that is in progress, and any required state or federal permits (DEQ stormwater, Army Corps wetlands/stream crossings) to be completed prior to construction. The company estimated construction in 2027 with an operational life modeled at up to 40 years, and indicated panels typically carry manufacturer warranties near 25 years with repowering options later in life.

The Planning Commission record and staff packet list the county solar ordinance and the Prince Edward County comprehensive plan as the controlling local documents; the commission also cited the state review process for utilities under a 2232‑type review. The commission’s recommendation transmits the application, staff packet and the conditions it adopted to the Board of Supervisors for its April meeting.

The Planning Commission will continue to accept public comment at the Board of Supervisors hearing; neighbors and county staff noted ongoing concerns about erosion control, roadway impacts and downstream watershed connections that will be reviewed further during permitting and by VDOT and state agencies if the Board approves the special‑use permit.