Caroline County planners outline comp plan timeline, new staff and flag state renewable-energy bill concerns

Planning staff told the Caroline County Planning and Zoning Commission at its February meeting that work on an updated comprehensive plan will accelerate in 2025 and that several personnel additions and enforcement responsibilities are underway.

Staff introduced Olivia, the county’s new planner, and said the commission would receive a detailed timeline for the comprehensive plan in March with a target to complete the plan by the end of 2025. Staff characterized that schedule as “ambitious” and said the document will shape elements and goals for future land-use and development decisions.

Staff also reported recent hires for administrative positions, including a new board administrator who will also serve as program and liquor-board administrator, and said Geographic Information Systems (GIS) staff remain the last planned hire to complete the department’s staffing needs.

Planning staff outlined several administrative burdens and pipeline projects. Staff said the county must inspect a portion of agricultural easements each year to confirm there are no new structures on easement-protected land; some easements carry federal reporting requirements and require annual review. A staff member estimated the county has several hundred such easements but did not provide a firm total in the meeting.

On development projects, staff described multiple solar projects under review or construction around the county — including proposals outside Federalsburg (referred to in the meeting as Fettlesburg/Fuddlesburg variants) and Preston — and said one project had begun ground work without the expected preconstruction meeting with the state (MDE) and soil conservation staff. The department will continue to review several site plans and monitor related Board of Zoning Appeals activity.

Commissioners and staff spent substantial time discussing proposed state legislation on renewable energy siting and battery energy storage systems. Staff said the draft state bill as written would largely preempt local discretion over siting, setbacks and screening for utility-scale solar and would limit local taxing authority for generation projects to a maximum pilot rate of $5,000 per megawatt. Staff contrasted that cap with the county’s current effective revenues from some projects, which were described in the meeting as substantially higher.

Staff and commissioners expressed particular concern about battery energy storage systems (BESS). Meeting participants cited recent national incidents in which thermal runaway and fires at BESS sites led to multi-day blazes, evacuations and environmental testing of nearby properties; staff said the draft state rules do not yet include fire-suppression requirements that county officials expected. A staff member summarized the county’s position: 'It's pretty much got all the bad stuff in it that we don't want.' Staff said the county will pursue heavy amendments, including efforts to remove BESS from the bill and to retain local taxing authority.

Other items discussed included truck-route and mining activity near Bridgetown and Goldsboro, where commissioners noted potential cumulative impacts if more mines in a concentrated area become active; and ongoing follow-up on conditional-use and site-plan reviews for county projects already before planning staff and the BZA.

Staff asked the commission for input and said they will return in March with the comprehensive-plan timeline and next steps for public outreach and element drafting.