Pittsylvania BZA grants amended special-use permit and two-year start window for Shaco Solar after public comment

The Pittsylvania County Board of Zoning Appeals voted 5-2 on Feb. 10 to amend the conditions of special-use permit SD-25-003 for Shaco Solar LLC, allowing the company more time to complete electric‑grid interconnection steps and updating site standards to conform with the county’s current zoning ordinance.

The amendment covers a proposed utility‑scale solar facility on 15 parcels in the Banister election district, described in the application as totaling roughly 907.88 acres along State Route 57 (Halifax Road) and State Route 640 (Java Road). The board approved staff-recommended changes that include 50-foot setbacks from property lines, 200-foot setbacks from bordering residential properties, a 100-foot‑wide landscape buffer with an approved maintenance plan, and a required viewshed protection plan and fire/rescue training. The permit as amended also requires construction to begin within two years of the modification.

Why it mattered: The applicant told the board delays in the regional transmission operator’s interconnection studies (PJM Interconnection) have pushed the project’s schedule beyond the permit’s original expiration. TotalEnergies development staff said the company has increased financial commitments and is seeking the extension to align county approval with the interconnection timeline.

TotalEnergies project developer Yewon (Vywin) Sung told the board the original permit was tied to an interconnection schedule that shifted after PJM overhauled its queue process. “The interconnection study will not be completed by that deadline,” Sung said, and the extension was requested to allow Shaco Solar to finish the PJM process and proceed with procurement and design.

Sung also said the company posted additional financial security to move the project through the next phase of studies: an extra $1,100,000 deposited on Jan. 21, bringing the total posted security to $2,300,000. The applicant said it expects to receive an interconnection service agreement in Q3 and anticipates multi‑year PJM network upgrades and construction before commercial operation by late 2028.

County staff and planning commission recommended approval with the updated conditions. Community development staff member Miss Ragsdale told the board the recommended conditions reflect ordinance changes since the permit’s 2020 approval and include stronger screening, larger setbacks, a required viewshed protection plan and fire/rescue training for all facilities (not only those with battery storage), and decommissioning/security requirements.

Public comment at the hearing was split. Several nearby landowners and residents opposed extending the permit, citing long-term loss of farmland, visual impacts, and concerns about future owners or the permanence of leased lands. Robert Gregory, a landowner who said his family’s farm dates to 1838, asked, “Who might eventually own these leases or even these lands?” and warned about permanent topsoil loss. Farmer Robert Mills told the board that agriculture is the county’s largest employer and urged commissioners to consider future generations.

Other speakers supported the project, saying solar provides local income, jobs and clean power. Pamela Adams, a parcel owner within the project area, urged the board to approve the amendment, saying the updated setbacks and buffers will make the site “not look like what we are seeing in some of the projects that’s already been built.” John Gregory, a nearby business owner, expressed concerns about long-term waste and battery failures but acknowledged he knows people who support the project.

Several residents pressed the applicant and staff on screening and timing. The applicant said existing vegetation would be used where appropriate and would be supplemented with native evergreens; the company said planted evergreens will be at least 6 feet tall at planting and one row should reach a minimum height of 25 feet. Staff said the viewshed protection plan and administrative review would evaluate where additional screening or pre‑planting (for example, berms) might be required in highly exposed locations.

Board discussion focused on two central tensions: (1) whether to require the county’s current, stricter standards for setbacks and screening as part of an extension and (2) how long to allow the applicant to meet the interconnection schedule before the permit expires. One board member argued two years was too long given repeated extensions; the applicant and staff said two years was a tight but necessary window tied to PJM’s schedule.

On the legal and financial safeguards, staff noted the county requires an engineer-prepared decommissioning cost estimate and a surety bond before permits issue. Decommissioning must be completed within 12 months after a facility ceases operation; the county does not allow salvage value to reduce the security amount. The applicant said the contract obligates decommissioning unless the landowner and operator mutually agree otherwise.

The board approved the amended permit with staff-recommended conditions and the two‑year start requirement, voting 5 in favor, 2 opposed. The planning commission had recommended approval on Jan. 7 by a 6‑0 vote. The applicant said construction would likely begin 12 to 18 months before commercial operation and that commercial operation is anticipated in late 2028.

Looking ahead: The applicant said it expects PJM to complete key studies this summer and to receive an interconnection service agreement in Q3; if that happens, procurement and network upgrades would follow. The board’s action updates the local conditions that would apply if the state grants any further extensions; staff warned that state law or legislative action can supersede local permit deadlines.

Votes at a glance

- SD-25-003 (Shaco Solar LLC) — Motion to grant amended special-use permit with staff-recommended conditions and a requirement to begin construction within two years: passed 5‑2.