Lyon County planning commissioners recommend Winston solar PUD to commissioners despite staff concerns over setbacks and missing NDOT traffic approval

The Lyon County Planning Commission on Dec. 9 recommended that the Board of County Commissioners consider approval of a planned unit development from Winston FC Solar LLC for a 400‑megawatt solar energy facility and battery storage complex in Mason Valley.

The motion to forward the project, which covers roughly 2,374 acres and includes about 780,000 photovoltaic panels, a battery energy storage system, an electrical substation and an operations and maintenance building, passed after an extended hearing that centered on two staff concerns: a lack of an NDOT‑approved traffic impact study and large requested reductions to newly adopted county setback standards.

Staff senior planner Louis Cariola told commissioners the county’s June 2025 solar siting code requires minimum setbacks (notably a 2,640‑foot/0.5‑mile standard from highways or residential uses for solar arrays and a 1‑mile standard for battery energy systems) and that the applicant’s tentative PUD proposed reductions (in places to 300 feet or 50 feet) without documentary findings showing the public interest…