King George supervisors approve Caledon Solar special exception after contentious hearing

The King George County Board of Supervisors approved a special-exception permit for the Caledon Solar project, a proposed 22-megawatt, ground-mounted facility that would occupy about 122 acres of a larger 1,430-acre parcel near Caledon State Park. The motion included conditions requiring approval of a siting agreement and submission of a Phase 1 archaeological study; the board also approved a friendly amendment barring construction on Saturdays and Sundays.

The board opened a publicly noticed hearing after a staff presentation from Angela Farrugi, who described the request as a special exception under the county zoning ordinance (utility-scale solar is allowed in A-1 by special exception and subject to the use-performance standards in §7-7-10). Farrugi said the applicant requested two exceptions: allowance for limited appurtenance height to accommodate anemometer equipment and an extension of the two-year site-permit timeline up to five years to accommodate external interconnection and utility requirements. Staff recommended adding a condition requiring a Phase 1 archeological study and confirmation of any required mitigation measures.

Tyler McGilvray, a TerraForm Power representative, told the board the project would produce local power at the distribution level, provide what the company estimates as $11.3 million in economic benefits over the project lifetime including over $3 million in direct county revenue, and would avoid wetland and resource-protection-area impacts within the proposed layout. McGilvray said only about 2.5 acres of new clearing would be necessary and that the project will use Tier 1 panels and comply with federal foreign-entity-of-concern requirements.

Public comment ran for nearly two hours and split sharply. Conservation organizations and local residents urged denial, pointing to Cedar Grove Farm’s conservation easement and the comp plan’s conservation designations, and asked the board to require mitigation or replacement land under Code of Virginia authorities referenced during the hearing. Land-conservation speakers noted DCR had reviewed the project materials and requested further details before concluding compatibility with the recorded easement. Supporters — including several local residents and economic development advocates — urged the board to approve the project, noting low-impact operation, limited demands on county services, and projected tax revenues.

Board members debated the easement's legal status and the county’s limited zoning authority to assess state-held easements; a number of supervisors emphasized the special-exception process is intended to judge local zoning impacts (health, safety and welfare) while easement enforcement and interpretation rest with state agencies. The board added a construction-hours condition (no Saturday or Sunday construction) by amendment, required the Phase 1 archeological study, and made final approval contingent on a formal siting agreement to be considered at a future public hearing.

The board’s final vote affirmed the project’s consistency with the county’s comprehensive plan by statutory finding and passed the special-exception motion. The applicant still must finalize the siting agreement and address the archaeological and DCR comments before permits or site-plan approvals proceed.

Next steps: the county administrator will continue siting-agreement negotiations and advertise that agreement for public review at a subsequent meeting; the Phase 1 archeological study must be completed and provided to county staff and any required mitigation implemented before the project proceeds further.