Commission approves multiple large solar and transmission permits for northwest county projects

The Clark County Commission on Aug. 20 approved a series of use permits, design reviews and limited waivers for several large-scale solar generation projects and associated transmission, battery storage and substation facilities in the county's northwest planning area. Nut graf: Commissioners voted to approve parallel applications for utility-scale solar projects and ancillary facilities after applicants withdrew certain waiver requests and public-works staff and commissioners clarified conditions governing off-site improvements, buffering near sensitive parcels and right-of-way dedications. The largest of the projects described in the meeting record is the Larrea Solar Project. Linda Bullen, representing the applicant, told the commission the Larrea project would be a 205-megawatt photovoltaic facility sited on about 1,233 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and has an anticipated 45-year lifespan with a possibility of repowering. "It's anticipated to generate over $11,000,000 over its lifetime for Clark County alone with approximately 420 construction jobs during the 24-month construction period," Bullen said. She asked the board to approve use permits, design reviews and waivers for increased structure height, reduced fence height, elimination of buffering and screening in some locations, and waivers of full off-site improvements; staff recommended approval. Applicants and staff told the commission they had negotiated changes since initial filings. Bullen said the applicant's name was listed incorrectly in staff materials and should read "Lorea Solar Project, LLC." Commissioners and public-works staff described withdrawals of some requested waivers and corresponding deletions or corrections to county conditions. Planning and public-works conditions read into the record included deleting waiver requests to eliminate street landscaping and to waive full off-site improvements for a specific assessor parcel number; public works also corrected a dedication width on the easterly alignment from 30 to 40 feet. Commissioner Christopher Jones moved approval of the grouped items covering the solar projects and ancillary facilities, with the motion reflecting the applicant's withdrawals and the public-works deletions and corrections. The motion passed. Discussion v. decision: Commissioners expressly distinguished application approvals from later development-agreement and permitting steps. Mr. Papazian (public works) and commissioners noted that approval does not replace a subsequent development agreement and that applicants must still work through permitting and construction-phase requirements. The record shows commissioners added or accepted specific conditions: (1) withdrawn waivers for landscape elimination and off-site improvements for certain APNs; (2) a correction to a required right-of-way dedication width; and (3) a requirement that the applicant work with county staff on development-agreement details after approval. Community concerns and safeguards: Commissioners asked applicants to keep buffering and screening near a school and adjacent apartments for one parcel; the board directed approval of waivers with an exception to require buffering/screening on that parcel. Public-works staff and the applicant agreed to delete a restrictive covenant condition where off-site construction contributions would be provided instead. What the approvals do not do: Approval of the use permits and waivers does not authorize ground disturbance or final grading; the county will still require standard building permits, grading and drainage approvals, and development-agreement execution where required. Ending: With conditions and applicant withdrawals reflected in motions, the commission voted to approve the cluster of related applications, enabling the projects to proceed to the county's subsequent permit and development-agreement review stages.