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Westmoreland supervisors direct staff to craft county solar policy and form advisory group
Summary
Board members agreed the county should develop a local solar policy, seek public input and assemble an ad hoc committee with staff and outside experts to draft standards on siting, buffers, decommissioning and other rules.
The Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors on a consensus vote directed county staff to develop a local solar policy and to form an advisory group of board members, planning commissioners, agency staff and outside experts to draft recommendations for public review.
Board members said Westmoreland’s current comprehensive plan mentions solar only once and offers little guidance for developers or staff. County staff told the board a policy — distinct from a zoning ordinance — could lay out acreage caps, radius restrictions, capacity limits, setbacks, buffer areas, noise limitations, battery-storage standards and decommissioning requirements for solar facilities.
The board’s discussion emphasized balancing the county’s agricultural character with the practical appearance of increasing solar project proposals. One board member said the county has spent significant staff time on recent applications (the county administrator estimated roughly 90 man-hours on the most recent project) and asked for public hearings and Farm Bureau input before finalizing rules. A county staff presentation noted a recent state senate bill that would have limited local control failed on a 19–20 vote and that the board may be expected to adopt local standards.
Two residents who spoke during public comment urged the board to restrict large solar facilities. Donald Saunders, a resident who asked to be part of the drafting committee, said, “I am against the continued destruction of our beautiful county by the building of what they are calling solar farms. I refuse to call them solar farms. I call them solar facilities.” Another speaker, Richard Wilkins of Cedar Hill Farm, suggested the county consider a moratorium while it develops policy and review decommissioning and environmental protections.
County staff recommended forming an ad hoc committee that could include at least one or two Board members, a Planning Commission member, representatives from Farm Bureau and Dominion Virginia Power, the Land Use Department, the County Attorney and other experts. The board asked the county administrator to assemble that group and return with a recommended membership and timeline; board members said they expect public input, including town-hall meetings, during the drafting process.
No ordinance was introduced or adopted at the meeting. Staff said a policy and any proposed ordinance would be brought back for Planning Commission review and a public hearing before the board.
The board also asked staff to consider screening and siting principles (for example, preferring nonproductive or screened land rather than high-yield farmland) and to prepare information on battery storage and decommissioning bonds as part of the draft policy.
