Lyon County approves Winston Solar PUD after months of revisions, with road‑improvement commitments

The Lyon County Board of Commissioners voted March 5 to tentatively approve a planned‑unit development for the Winston Solar Project, a proposed 400‑megawatt photovoltaic array with a battery energy storage system and supporting substations. Staff, the applicant and dozens of residents spent the morning and afternoon at a public hearing that exposed deep differences over visual impacts, traffic and wildlife.

Louis Cariola, senior planner, told the board staff had previously recommended denial when the applicant proposed a 300‑foot setback from US‑95A; after two months of coordination the applicant increased that buffer to about 1,320 feet and proposed a 30‑foot landscape strip along the highway. Cariola said NDOT had reviewed the project’s traffic impact study and provided required comments; staff and the applicant agreed…