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Commission extends Chamberton Solar Santa Rosa community-solar deadline amid neighborhood objections
Summary
The commission granted Chamberton Solar Santa Rosa LLC an extension of its community solar pilot operational deadline to May 22, 2026 and waived a COMAR provision. A neighborhood resident testified that developer delays and repeated extensions have harmed local expectations and that additional pilot projects threaten the Potomac/Santa Rosa area.
The Public Service Commission granted Chamberton Solar Santa Rosa LLC a waiver of a COMAR provision and extended the project27s community-solar operational deadline to May 22, 2026 during its Oct. 29 administrative meeting.
The extension and waiver (staff identified the waiver of "COMAR 20.62.03.04C" in the record) were on the consent agenda and approved by unanimous aye votes of the commissioners present. Staff earlier had noted the extension request from Chamberton Solar Santa Rosa LLC and recommended granting the waiver and the new operational deadline.
During public comment on the same agenda item, Paul Garrett, a resident of the Potomac neighborhood near the project, urged the commission to deny further extensions in the future and described local frustration with repeated delays. "This is the second extension you've now granted to Chaberton. And I just wanted to give the commission a little color as to what's been going on with Chaberton," Garrett said. He told the commission the delays were "self imposed because they didn't order things correctly" and said the developer used out-of-state construction workers and that the neighborhood had successfully opposed a larger adjacent project previously. Garrett asked that the commission record neighborhood maps and documentation and suggested further pilots could lead to larger industrial development near million-dollar homes.
Commissioners and staff encouraged Garrett to stay engaged and explained that some small pilot projects under 2 megawatts may not trigger state-level review without county approval; staff indicated the community-solar program has been made permanent by statute and that rules implementing the permanent program are in development. Staff directed Garrett to staff counsel for additional information on the rulemaking process and how to participate.
The commission recorded the extension and waiver motions and approved them on the consent calendar.
