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County staff updates on eight solar projects and an appealed variance for a proposed Ethiopian church
Summary
Staff reported eight solar projects are in the state CPCN queue (Pine Rock, Bear Branch, others); one draft denial at Pine Rock may be resolved by an amended decommissioning plan and Bear Branch has preliminary approval pending an appeal period. Staff also said it approved a variance to remove specimen trees for an Ethiopian church site; that variance is now appealed to the BZA and in circuit court.
County planning staff updated the Carroll County Planning Commission on Feb. 5 about multiple utility-scale solar projects and a contested variance related to a proposed Ethiopian church.
Chris, a county staff member, told commissioners that eight projects in Carroll County are undergoing Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) review at the Maryland Public Service Commission. He identified the Pine Rock Solar project on Sullivan Road as facing a draft decision that would deny the CPCN due to decommissioning-plan inconsistencies but said the judge has allowed the applicant to amend that plan and suggested an approval could follow if the decommissioning plan is fixed. "I've read through her draft decision. I'd say the feeling that I get from the decision is that once they amend the decommissioning plan, that she's going to then approve the certificate," Chris said.
Bear Branch Solar, north of Westminster off Lamb Drive, has a law-judge's preliminary approval; Chris said that approval becomes final if no party appeals by March 4. Two Fannie Dorsey Road projects have county and Board of County Commissioners interventions, which makes their process longer, and four other projects remain further back in the queue. Chris said that if Bear Branch becomes official after the appeal period, the applicant will begin local development review, including presubmittal and technical review committee steps, then concept-plan review by the commission.
On the Ethiopian church application, Chris said the applicant returned to final-plan review after concept review more than a year ago. He said three or four technical agencies have outstanding comments the applicant must address. Chris said he approved a developer's variance allowing removal of specimen trees near existing buildings where parking, septic and stormwater facilities are proposed; that variance decision is now appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) and a BZA hearing began last week and will likely be continued in March. Chris noted related litigation in circuit court on the same underlying issue but stated that the appeal does not halt the county development-review process and that final approvals will follow completion of technical-agency comments.
Commissioners raised farmland-preservation and ag-zone siting questions tied to the church site, asking whether buildings should be sited closer to roads to preserve higher-quality farmland. Chris said he could not comment on the active BZA case but explained that religious establishments are an allowable use in AG zoning and that property owners have rights to propose siting; he reiterated that he could not discuss pending cases but acknowledged public concern.
The commission did not take formal action on any of the solar projects or the Ethiopian church during the Feb. 5 meeting; staff said it anticipates some projects entering local review after state CPCN actions and will bring concept plans to the commission.
