Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Solar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Halifax County approves 3‑MW Sinai Road solar farm with 10‑foot setback variance
Summary
The Halifax County Planning Commission recommended and the Board of Supervisors approved a 3‑megawatt, 11‑acre solar facility on a 19‑acre lot at 1180 Sinai Road owned by Mary Hodges, granting a requested variance reducing setbacks from 150 feet to 10 feet and imposing screening and slatting conditions in a 7–0 vote.
The Halifax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a 3‑megawatt solar facility proposed for 1180 Sinai Road, granting the applicant a 10‑foot setback variance from adjoining property lines while keeping the county’s 150‑foot setback from Sinai Road itself. The site, submitted by ESA Solar and identified in meeting materials as Sinai Road / Sonaehyar Road Solar Farm, uses about 11 acres of a 19‑acre parcel owned by Mary Hodges; the planning staff and applicant emphasized that Hodges owns surrounding parcels and that the Department of Forestry supplied a non‑objection letter about impacts to a neighboring land conservation easement.
Planning staff told the joint meeting that the project meets Halifax County density rules for small‑scale community solar and highlighted county financial benefits the applicant agreed to provide, including $165,000 in standard cash payments to the county (described in the presentation as in addition to property and real estate taxes) and a stated revenue share described in the record as $1,400 per megawatt. Staff also said the project carries two surety instruments: a performance bond recorded in the transcript as $300,000 and a decommissioning bond referenced in the presentation as “$1.67” (the transcript and spoken record do not specify units or clarify the figure).
