Planning commission forwards 134‑MW Gibson Solar project to supervisors after public hearing

The King George County Planning Commission voted to forward Gibson Solar’s special‑exception application (Z‑2024‑00184) to the Board of Supervisors with a favorable recommendation following a multi‑hour public hearing and extended commissioner discussion. The project, proposed by OpenRoad Renewables, would install about 134 megawatts of solar across roughly 890 acres in the Shiloh District and include an on‑site livestock grazing operation.

OpenRoad Renewables representative Ryan Gilchrist told the commission the project would place roughly a third of the fenced acreage under panels, put about 1,300 acres into a permanent conservation easement tied to the development, and pair the arrays with rotational sheep grazing. “Seventy percent of it would be put into a permanent conservation easement,” Gilchrist said, and the grazing plan would “rotationally graze the site, so 10 to 15 acres at a time.”

Neighbors and other residents offered mixed testimony. Supporters said the project preserves land from residential subdivision, provides tax revenue and creates a new farming opportunity for a local grazier. “This will be an agricultural operation,” said Rose Payne, who owns nearby farmland and told commissioners she supports the proposal because it preserves the land and would not add school or water demand. Opponents raised concerns about tree clearing, visibility, impacts to wetlands and the scale of the development; several speakers urged the commission to deny the request or require further study.

County staff and the applicant described a long list of draft permit conditions intended to address stormwater, visual impacts, construction phasing, decommissioning bonds and emergency services training. Gilchrist said the applicant has worked with emergency services and would implement post‑construction stormwater practices and bonds for decommissioning. He also told commissioners the project expects to meet new DEQ stormwater standards and that construction would be phased so no more than 200 acres of disturbance occur at any one time.

Commissioners split in debate over policy and practical tradeoffs. Some members said the project offers substantial land‑preservation and economic benefits, while others said a project of this scale in the rural Shiloh District is inconsistent with the county’s comprehensive plan and that the commission should be cautious about setting precedent for multiple, dispersed solar parcels. After a failed motion to deny the proposal, the commission voted to forward the application with a favorable recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

Next steps: the Board of Supervisors will take up the application in a separate public hearing. The planning commission’s recommendation does not approve construction; it sends the question to the supervisors for final permit authority and any additional conditions.