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 justification staff needs for such deviations. Cariola also said the application lacked an NDOT‑approved traffic impact study (TIS) and that NDOT denied the project’s waiver request.

The applicant’s team — represented by Scott Whitmore of Energy Project Solutions and Devin Muto of EDF Power Solutions — acknowledged the missing NDOT approval but said it had submitted traffic analyses and sought county input so it could finalize an NDOT TIS. The project team’s traffic consultant presented two scenarios: a Winston‑only study and a cumulative analysis that included nearby Luxe and Monarch developments. Consultant Sri Ram Balal said the applicant had committed to a mitigation scheme focused on Sierra Way and the CROA intersection and estimated Winston would represent roughly 20–21% of the cumulative construction traffic in the analysis. Whitmore and Muto also said the applicants would commit in writing to fund up to $2,000,000 in Sierra Way intersection improvements and to participate in pro rata improvements arising from cumulative impacts.

Commissioners pressed the applicant on process and timing. Several commissioners emphasized that county staff must receive complete submissions so staff can formulate findings; staff and county manager Andrew Haskin said that without an NDOT‑approved TIS they would have recommended denial. The applicant argued the PUD process is expressly discretionary under state law and county code, allowing case‑by‑case deviations with appropriate conditions and a final PUD that would bind the developer to NDOT requirements and mitigation.

The planning commission’s motion included conditions requiring the applicant to provide and comply with NDOT review comments and to include the NDOT‑approved TIS in the final PUD; to include Walker River Irrigation District comments in the final PUD; to provide written rationale and justification for any deviations from setback standards; and to submit and obtain NDOT approval of a detailed traffic control plan prior to construction. The commission made the recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners by voice vote; the record does not show a roll‑call tally in the transcript.

Public comment reflected mixed community views. Landowners and local proponents said the location benefits from existing transmission infrastructure and would bring jobs and tax revenue while using little or no groundwater. Residents raised traffic‑safety concerns on U.S. 95 and in the Sierra Way corridor and asked that NDOT and the county ensure adequate mitigation. Kayla Alm of Comstock Metals urged that any approval include an AB493‑compliant decommissioning plan addressing end‑of‑life panel handling and recycling.

What happens next: the commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners, which will hold the final public hearing and decision on whether to approve the final PUD and adopt any binding conditions. The applicant has committed to complete an NDOT‑approved traffic impact study and return the NDOT findings as part of the final PUD, per the conditions placed by the commission.

Sources: presentations and exchanges on Dec. 9, 2025 at the Lyon County Planning Commission public hearing, staff report and applicant testimony.