Planning commission approves Morgan Neck Road solar final site plan with conditions after extended review and public comment

The Kent County Planning Commission voted to grant final major site plan approval to Morgneck Road Solar (application 2334) for a proposed 45‑megawatt AC solar facility sited on approximately 229 acres along Morgneck Road, subject to a list of conditions and required state and county permits.

Staff and the applicant presented the project’s final materials and described outstanding conditions. Mark Carpenter and project representatives said the applicant had addressed many plan conditions from the preliminary approval: the irrigation plan for the landscaped berms, a preferred substation location (substation location No. 2) closer to Morgneck Road, updated landscape planting around the substation (including up to 10% non‑native species for screening), and plans to meet the county noise ordinance (no more than 45 decibels at the property line). The remaining items that staff tied to final approval included: MDOT State Highway Administration (SHA) approval for the proposed facility entrance, final approval and recordation of a deed of forest conservation easement, approval of erosion and sediment control and stormwater management plans, submission and approval of sureties for sediment/erosion control and landscape maintenance, and obtaining all required state and federal permits.

At the meeting, applicant representatives—Genevieve McFarlane (Stevens Palmer), Valerie Newcomb (vice president, economic and community development, Urban Grid), Crystal Ortiz (development manager), and others—outlined progress on technical items and community engagement. They reported coordination with Kent Soil and Water Conservation District and Department of Public Works on sediment and stormwater matters, as well as an outreach open house attended by about 30 residents. The applicant said a construction site manager will be local and that a contact will be provided for neighbors during mobilization. The project team also described an agrivoltaics plan including planned sheep grazing beginning in spring 2026 and an annual scholarship program (first awards totaling $10,000 to be disbursed in May 2026 for eligible high‑school seniors entering technical or community college).

Public comment included a written letter from a neighbor raising concerns about the access road, traffic near his home, water‑well effects and potential flooding, and potential safety and privacy impacts. Jan Christiansen presented photographs from a different Urban Grid project in Queen Anne’s County to question the long‑term maintenance and effectiveness of landscape screening. Other speakers, including neighbors and supporters, described both concerns about screening and maintenance and arguments in favor of the project’s contribution to regional energy supply.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about landscaping, irrigation and maintenance. One commissioner expressed concern that the landscape maintenance agreement required county direction for replacement of dead or dying plant material; applicant counsel said they would work with county staff to add a timeline and language requiring the owner to replace dead plantings as needed without administrative delay. The applicant acknowledged they would finalize a cost estimate and performance surety for landscape and decommissioning bonds and that the decommissioning plan has been reviewed by the State Public Service Commission; at the meeting the applicant identified a decommissioning bond figure in the materials of $783,277 (applicant stated this figure in response to a member’s question).

The commission’s approval was accompanied by a finding that the project met county standards (citing the county’s utility solar standards and related sections of the land use ordinance) and a list of conditions to be met prior to signature of the final site plan by Planning and Zoning staff. Commissioners voted to approve with conditions; the roll call vote on final approval recorded the following: Bill Crowdy — Aye; Paul Ruge — Aye; Sean Jones — Aye; Ray Strong — Aye; Jim Saunders — Aye; chair voted in the affirmative.

Conditions attached to approval included: MDOT/SHA approval of the proposed facility entrance; approval and recordation of the deed of forest conservation easement; final approval of landscape maintenance agreement (to be revised to clarify owner responsibility and timing for replacement of dead/dying plantings); approval of erosion and sediment control and stormwater management plans; submission and approval of sureties for sediment/erosion control, stormwater management (if required), landscape maintenance and decommissioning; submission of required state and federal permits; and verification that the project meets the county noise ordinance. Staff stated the final site plan will not be signed until all required items are submitted and approved.

The commission also discussed the project’s “gateway” amenity, which is a condition of the project’s State CPCN (Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity). Applicant representatives said a local “gateway committee” of seven stakeholders—including representatives from Urban Grid, county planning staff, the town of Chestertown and local nonprofits—has formed and will meet monthly; the gateway amenity has a five‑year implementation requirement under the CPCN and will be presented to the commission once the committee finalizes recommendations. Applicant representatives said the gateway amenity may or may not be located on‑site and will not delay the final site plan approval so long as the committee continues its work toward the CPCN condition.

The commission’s conditional approval allows the project to continue toward construction once the outstanding county and state items are completed and recorded.