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Board schedules public hearings after first reading to expand by-right small-scale solar acreage
Summary
County attorneys presented a first reading of a draft zoning ordinance that would allow ground-mounted small-scale solar arrays by right on up to 5 acres in certain zones (up from 1 acre), mirror DEQ rules and direct the draft to the planning commission and public hearing process.
The Washington County Board of Supervisors held a first reading of a draft zoning ordinance that would revise the county’s rules for ground-mounted small-scale solar energy projects.
County attorney Mr. Snodgrass explained the draft generally restores language from a 2016 ordinance and expands the by-right acreage threshold for small, ground-mounted projects in several zoning districts from 1 acre to 5 acres. He said the amendment is intended to mirror the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the cited Virginia code (referenced in the draft as Virginia Code § 10.1-119.7) governing small renewable projects and the DEQ application process.
Snodgrass noted that the ordinance would still require applicants to submit drawings and forms and that DEQ’s process includes verification with local governments; the draft would not make ground-mounted projects automatically exempt from site review, but it would allow small projects to proceed by right in specified zones with required paperwork. The board voted, 7-0, to schedule public hearings and refer the draft back to the planning commission for further work.
Staff cautioned that the 5-acre by-right limit is not equivalent to a 5-megawatt installation — engineering and panel layout typically require far more acreage per megawatt — and that subsequent planning-commission work could refine size limits or siting criteria.
