Mecklenburg supervisors uphold planning commission denial of Antlers Road 2232 application

The Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors on June 2025 declined to overrule an April planning commission decision and therefore left in place the commission's finding that the Antlers Road solar project is not in substantial compliance with the county comprehensive plan.

The action came after a documented appeal from Antlers Road Solar LLC, represented at the hearing by attorney Dale Mullen of RWE Renewables America. Mullen asked the board to either overrule the planning commission or return the application to the commission to be considered under the prior comprehensive plan, saying the project “has taken years to develop about $1,300,000 in cost, and stands to benefit the community.” He said the company submitted an amended plan, increased setbacks and provided 49 letters of support.

The board’s motion to decline the appeal restated the planning commission’s reasons. County staff and supervisors cited the adopted comprehensive plan’s rural and rural-conservation policies, the property’s high scores on the county’s watershed and ecological-core maps, and the presence of Mines Creek, Kettle Creek and Coleman Creek draining to Allens Creek and the Roanoke River. The board’s written resolution said the site’s conservation values and watershed impact modeling weighed against a determination of substantial compliance.

Several residents who live near the proposed project urged denial during public comment. “I live at 3999 Antlers Road in Boynton … I don't want a solar farm behind or anywhere near on Antlers Road,” said resident Dave Wilden. Betty Upton, who farms near the site, told the board she was worried about toxins leaching from panels and runoff reaching creeks that feed Lake Gaston. Gwen Wilden read a local column and said neighbor-payment agreements circulated around another project had the effect of silencing local opposition.

Support for the project also was voiced at the hearing. Curtis Sensel, a Roseburg land manager involved with the proposal, said the project would use existing transmission lines, provide long-term leases allowing owners to reinvest in timber operations and include buffers, pollinator-friendly ground cover and a long-term management plan.

After deliberation the board took a roll-call vote and the motion to decline to overrule the April planning commission decision carried unanimously. The board’s action leaves the planning commission’s April 2025 finding in place and does not advance the Antlers Road 2232 application to approval.

The board did not adopt new mitigation or permit conditions at this meeting; the planning commission decision stands. The applicant’s representative said materials submitted to the record—letters of support and the project’s 2232 public hearing packet—were provided to the board during the hearing and are part of the record.