Fauquier planning commission finds Alameda solar projects not in accord with comprehensive plan

The Fauquier County Planning Commission voted 5-0 in Feb. 2025 that three applications for the Alameda Solar Grazing Center — a proposed 90-megawatt, utility-scale solar development on roughly 941 acres — are not substantially in accord with the Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan.

Planning commissioners said the project’s scale, location and visual effect on long-established agricultural landscapes conflicted with multiple sections of the county plan, particularly the Rural Lands and scenic resources guidance. Commissioner Matthew Smith moved that the applications “are not in substantial accord with Fauquier County’s comprehensive plan,” and the commission approved the motion without recorded opposition.

The Alameda proposal comprises three related applications: Alameda Solar Grazing Center North (about 618 acres across 10 parcels), Alameda Solar Grazing Center South (about 302 acres), and an interconnection parcel (about 21.5 acres). Together the applications request comprehensive plan compliance review for a project with a total development area of about 516 acres and multiple commitments from the applicant including a 40‑year decommissioning schedule and an on‑site rotational sheep grazing operation.

County planning staff…