ARB approves three rooftop solar installations, staff and public urge countywide solar standards

The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board on Sept. 2 approved three rooftop solar proposals and heard both a public suggestion and staff recommendation that the county develop specific standards for solar installations in the entrance corridor to allow predictable, staff-level reviews.

Planning staff recommended approval for all three rooftop proposals — High School Center 2, Albemarle High School and Virginia Asphalt Services — while noting that entrance corridor guidelines currently do not contain solar-specific standards. Neil Williamson of the Free Enterprise Forum raised that exact point during public comment, urging the county to adopt uniform standards so staff could handle routine solar applications without requiring full ARB review. Williamson said creating such standards would “create predictability for applicants and speed of approval.”

High School Center 2: planning staff described panels proposed for the main roofs of the new High School Center 2 building on Hydraulic Road, sited about 270 feet from the street and visible for roughly 1,300 feet along the corridor.…