Planning commission approves irrigation-waiver plan for Pocomoke solar project landscaping

The Worcester County Planning Commission on June 16 approved a request to waive the county's on-site planting irrigation requirement for landscaping at the Pocomoke City Community Energy Initiative solar project.

The waiver applies to the landscaping plan for a solar project identified by applicants as a two-parcel development totaling about 123.78 acres, with roughly 35 acres of development area concentrated on the western portion of the site near 610 Ocean Highway in the Cross River Field area. Project representatives said the solar arrays and associated landscaping are set back more than 500 feet from U.S. 13.

Commission staff and the applicants told the commission that the site has no public water connection, and that installing a permanent irrigation system would impose a significant hardship. The applicant proposed an alternative management plan that includes an intensive initial watering schedule (twice within the first 24 hours), weekly watering by hired contractors for the first month, periodic follow-up watering thereafter as needed, use of tree-watering bags and slow-release devices for young plantings, and bonded replacement of failed plantings.

Commission staff reported the project has been submitted to the state highway administration and the soil conservation district and that it received preliminary site development review with no major technical objections. The soil and water management review and the county technical review committee raised the irrigation waiver as an item for the planning commission to consider.

Following presentation and questions, the planning commission moved, seconded and voted in favor of the waiver request. The motion carried with the commission's affirmative vote; no formal roll-call tally was recorded in the hearing transcript.

What the approval means: the commission approved the applicant's alternative landscaping irrigation and maintenance program in lieu of installing a permanent irrigation connection. The approval requires the applicant to implement the management measures presented to the commission and to replace failed plantings per the bonded plan.

Next steps and conditions: applicants said they will continue required permitting reviews with state agencies (state highway administration, soil conservation district) and will comply with any conditions those agencies impose. The commission did not adopt language in the hearing record changing the project's zoning along the U.S. 13 strip, which applicants said would remain unchanged.

Speakers and roles quoted during the item are documented in the meeting record; commissioners asked clarifying questions about property access, existing site uses and the source of water for the proposed management program.

The planning commission meeting included additional agenda items after this approval, including separate rezoning and text-amendment matters.