Planning director updates commission on reservoir, solar projects and permit activity

Planning Director Stephanie Johnson briefed the commission on a range of development and permitting items, including the county's reservoir status, two solar projects in the southern part of Cumberland County and recent building-permit activity.

Johnson said reservoir water levels have risen slightly and that photos indicate parts of the site will soon be underwater; a site visit coordinated with Henrico County is tentatively targeted for March. She reported two solar developers have begun clearing vegetation and installing silt fence and that staff authorized limited clear-cutting (leaving stumps) to produce more accurate topographic surveys before major earthwork. Johnson said developers agreed to install additional earthen berms and enhanced perimeter measures beyond the original plan to reduce sediment and runoff risks.

In the monthly planning report (packet pages 24–28), Johnson listed pending applications including ZP-24-01 for the Green Ridge Recycling and Disposal Facility and noted one commercial accessory zoning permit, nine residential primary permits, five residential accessory permits and one farm structure permit were issued in October. The building-inspections report showed 92 total permits in October with fees of $13,680.33, an estimated construction value of $2,254,315 and seven certificates of occupancy issued; year-to-date totals were also provided in the packet.

Johnson told commissioners the erosion and sediment-control ordinance amendments (to combine emergency sediment control and stormwater regulations) are about halfway complete and expected no later than spring, and that noise-ordinance textual changes remain under review by county administration.