Planning staff proposes sign ordinance changes and draft battery storage rules; commission asks for review and outside feedback

Planning staff presented two draft regulatory efforts at the Isle of Wight Planning Commission meeting: a revised sign ordinance and a first draft of a battery energy storage system (BESS) ordinance. Commissioners asked staff to circulate the drafts to emergency services, Dominion Energy and other stakeholders and return with revised language and a proposed public hearing.

On the sign ordinance, staff proposed allowing the total permitted wall-sign area to be split across multiple building walls while retaining a maximum of 10% of the front façade area or 200 square feet, whichever is less. Staff also recommended removing the temporary-sign permit requirement and allowing temporary signs up to 90 days per calendar year if the signs remain in good repair and meet other standards. Nonresidential properties would be permitted two flag signs, one banner sign and one portable/frame sign under the draft. The draft also lists prohibited materials such as plywood, cardboard and scrap metal while allowing durable materials such as aluminum or acrylic.

A planning staff member said the proposed changes respond to feedback from economic development and tourism and aim to add flexibility while preserving historic character: “The total wall sign area will remain the maximum of 10% of the area of the front facade of the building, or 200 square feet, whichever is less,” the staff member said. The staff member also said permanent sign colors would include the Benjamin Moore Williamsburg color palette or other formally recognized historic palettes, with registered logos allowed on sign faces.

Staff recommended the commission consider advertising the sign revisions for public hearing at a future meeting. Commissioners discussed enforcement concerns for temporary and feather-banner signs, and a commissioner asked staff to draft language requiring developers to prioritize outreach to Isle of Wight residents when soliciting subscribers for local shared-solar projects; staff agreed to include recommended language in the staff report for the Board of Supervisors.

Planning staff also presented a draft BESS ordinance intended to govern battery energy storage facilities. The draft borrows elements from model ordinances in Chesapeake, Hanover and Amelia counties and from the county’s existing utility-scale solar rules. Provisions in the draft include definitions and tiers for systems, application requirements (concept plan, visual impact analysis, transportation plan, environmental and historic resources analyses), technical and public-safety standards, setback and screening requirements, noise standards, site-layout and decommissioning requirements.

The staff member said the draft requires industrial standards such as compliance with the National Electrical Code and the International Fire Code and includes a requirement that “each individual battery shall have 24/7 automated fire detection and extinguishing technology built in.” The draft also suggests baseline soil testing for contaminants and proposes decommissioning guarantees similar to those used for solar projects.

Commissioners asked numerous technical questions. George Ross and others asked about noise and whether inverters or step-up transformers could generate continuous sound. Commissioners asked staff to clarify timing (what is required at application versus final site-plan approval) and to ensure that decommissioning financial surety and emergency-response planning are required before operations begin. The draft contains an illustrative setback concept—borrowed from an outside model—suggesting a 5,000-foot minimum distance from public roads and property lines with possible reductions to no less than 1,000 feet through the conditional-use process; commissioners debated whether that scale would be workable in Isle of Wight County.

The planning staff member said there are currently no BESS applications in the county and that the draft is intended as a starting point for community and inter-agency review. Staff said they will send the draft to local emergency services and to Dominion Energy for technical review and will return with revisions for further commission discussion and a public hearing.