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Planning commission approves Gainesville battery storage on school land after safety debate
Summary
The commission approved Light Shift Energy’s public‑facility review for a two‑phase, 20 MW battery energy storage facility on a school‑board parcel in Gainesville after lengthy public comments about fire risk, site selection, and whether the use should require a special‑use permit.
The Prince William County Planning Commission on July 16 approved PFR 2025‑00007, a public‑facility review for a two‑phase battery energy storage project proposed by Light Shift Energy on a school‑board parcel in Gainesville, drawing sustained public concern about safety, siting and the review process.
Light Shift’s director of development, Ricky Elder, said the company has operational projects in Virginia and along the East Coast and has an executed lease with the school board for the Gainesville parcel. The applicant described a phased project — two 10‑megawatt AC phases for a combined 20 MW AC — and said its design uses engineered enclosures, remote monitoring and third‑party testing.
“Safety is the most important thing to us and is part of our DNA,” said Joe Levitt, identified by the applicant as the company’s chief technology officer, who described industry shifts toward more thermally stable lithium‑iron‑phosphate battery chemistries and enclosure‑based designs that are tested to quantify heat and gas emissions.
Citizens urged caution. Elizabeth Martirano told commissioners about a widely reported Moss Landing fire and urged a Special Use Permit and a more extensive investigation: “Mass Landing energy storage facility...caught fire and burned for 5 days,” she said, noting evacuations and health concerns. Rachel Ellis, a virtual speaker and Gainesville parent, said the proposal is incompatible with the county’s parks‑and‑open‑space comp‑plan designation for the parcel and urged a “no” vote, raising concerns about proximity to Gainesville Middle and High schools and alleging insufficient public notice.
Planning staff highlighted that the site is in M‑1 zoning within a data‑center corridor and recommended that the project’s general location, character and extent align with the comprehensive plan. Staff said they worked with the applicant for roughly nine months, sought decommissioning and remediation commitments, and coordinated early with fire officials.
Commissioner debate focused on whether the PFR path was appropriate (staff said past county precedent and a zoning‑determination letter supported PFR rather than a special‑use permit for projects within the Data Center Opportunity Overlay), fire suppression and emergency response plans, setback distances and enforceable noise limits. The applicant and staff said the lease with the school board requires 100‑foot setbacks (NFPA 855 guidance), third‑party pre‑ and post‑construction noise studies and obligations to cure noise problems and to decommission the site at lease end.
After deliberation and procedural roll‑call confusion, the commission approved the Gainesville PFR; staff will continue technical review during site‑plan and permitting stages and the applicant will submit hazard mitigation materials to the fire marshal and DEQ’s PBR process for state review if required.
What to watch: commissioners and residents pressed for stronger county zoning language for battery storage facilities; staff said the county is updating its zoning ordinance and design standards to address the use more directly.
