Committee backs solar meadow on capped landfill, with community benefit agreement and caveats

The Land Use, Housing and Transportation Standing Committee on Aug. 27 voted to forward Ordinance 2025‑191 to the full council with a recommendation to approve, authorizing a ground lease to permit a third‑party developer to build a 5‑megawatt solar farm and pollinator meadow at 3800 East Richmond Road.

Laura Thomas, director of the Office of Sustainability, told the committee the project targets a capped landfill site in the Seventh District that is difficult to redevelop for other uses. The proposed installation would cover about 14.59 acres and is expected to generate roughly 5 megawatts of capacity. Thomas said the developer would cover project costs, estimated at $15 million to $20 million, and the city would receive an estimated $2.735 million in total compensation over the lease term, subject to the negotiated agreement. The contract includes an upfront exploratory payment ($20,000) and an annual discovery payment ($10,000) during the due‑diligence period, and the community benefit agreement is capped at $500,000.

The project is intended to provide multiple community benefits: a pollinator meadow and apiary, reduced litter and improved park connections, limited shared solar access for nearby households (an estimated reduction of about $160 per household per year under Dominion Energy’s shared‑solar program), and the potential for 40–60 construction jobs during a two‑year construction phase. Staff and the developer will pursue interconnection approvals with Dominion and other regulatory reviews; Thomas cautioned the committee that environmental assessments, interconnection approvals and federal tax‑credit timelines create risks that could delay or stop the project.

Committee members asked whether residents from outside the Seventh District could access the shared‑solar benefits; staff said participation maps and eligibility would be defined through the community benefit agreement and the Dominion shared‑solar enrollment process, but because of the site location the initial cohort would focus on nearby neighborhoods. Staff also said the city ran a competitive RFI process and received multiple responses before selecting a vendor for negotiations.

After discussion the committee voted to forward the ordinance to full council with a recommendation to approve. Committee members said they expect a finalized community benefit agreement to be brought back to the council and noted that the project will require several environmental and utility approvals before construction and operation (staff projected operations as early as 2027 if approvals proceed on schedule).

The project will not proceed without subsequent regulatory approvals, interconnection agreements and a community‑approved benefits package.