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Gibson solar project clears commission for public hearing after applicant details preservation, wetlands and timber plans
Summary
Open Road Renewables presented the Gibson solar special-exception application and answered commissioners’ questions about permanent land preservation, wetland impacts and timber harvest. The commission voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing.
Open Road Renewables presented details of the Gibson Solar special‑exception application and asked the Planning Commission to schedule a public hearing.
Ryan Gilchrist, with Open Road Renewables, told commissioners the project would preserve 70% of the site permanently through a restrictive covenant recorded before construction. "Seventy percent of the land will forever be preserved," Gilchrist said, describing the conservation approach that the company proposes as unique to the project because the developer is purchasing a substantial portion of the site rather than only leasing it.
Gilchrist and the company’s senior staff answered questions from commissioners about wetlands, horizontal directional drilling where necessary for underground electrical lines, culvert designs at road crossings, and timber operations. The company said it would use horizontal directional drilling to cross wetlands where possible and limit above‑ground impacts to narrow, perpendicular road crossings with culverts. On timber, the applicant said approximately 590 acres of the site are currently forested; the applicant presented a timber harvest schedule identifying roughly 30% of the site for near‑term harvest and additional areas on a longer timeline; landowners told the applicant they planned to harvest irrespective of the solar project.
Commissioners pressed on decommissioning and abandonment clauses. Gilchrist said the developer would be required to post a decommissioning bond and that the special‑exception permit would expire after 40 years if not renewed or re‑permitted; the siting agreement will include abandonment language and conditions for when the county could require decommissioning.
After the presentation and Q&A, a commissioner moved to schedule a public hearing on the project; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
The commission recorded that the application is complete and ready for public hearing; staff will publish a notice and set the hearing date, subject to standard public‑notice timelines.
