Commission finds Taro Solar project substantially in accord with county comprehensive plan

The Charlotte County Planning Commission on June 26 moved to find that Taro Solar LLC’s proposed 140-megawatt photovoltaic facility is substantially in accord with the Charlotte County Comprehensive Plan.

The commission heard public comment from multiple Taro landowners and project supporters who said the project would provide economic benefits for landowners and the county, that parts of the site would remain forested and that revenues would help sustain local institutions such as St. Andrews Church. Supporters who spoke included Austin Goldman, Sandra Goldman, Brandon Pugh, Cornell “Brick” Goldman and others; several written comments were read into the record.

Savannah Newbern of The Berkley Group, the county’s third-party 2232 reviewer, presented the reviewer’s analysis and staff recommendation. Newbern said the applicant amended its submission after postponing the hearing in May; additional setbacks, inclusion of conserved open space and clarified economic benefits in the amended application led the reviewer to a revised recommendation in favor of finding substantial accord. In questions from commissioners, Newbern and Novi Energy representative Aditya Gangadharan clarified that conserved open space had been committed to by the applicant, that a conservation easement could be required through conditions, and that the project’s transmission-line connection would be determined by Dominion and PJM, with a decision expected in August.

Curtis Morton moved and Eugene Wells seconded a motion to find the project substantially in accord with the comprehensive plan, citing reasons including permissive zoning, distance from the nearest town boundary, projected construction jobs and long-term revenue for the county, limited long-term county services, and the applicant’s commitments on conserved land and habitat measures. Commissioner Belinda Strom and others expressed concern that a conservation easement was not yet in place, that district landowners opposed more solar, and that multiple projects could coincide with transmission-line construction, increasing construction impacts and traffic. Administrator Dan Witt and Supervisor Hazel Bowman Smith discussed phased approaches and timeline concerns. The motion carried on a roll-call vote: Curtis Morton — Yes; Eugene Wells — Yes; David Watkins — No; Miller Adams — No; Belinda Strom — No; Kerwin Kunath — Yes; Andrew Carwile — Yes; Richard Vaughan — Yes; Chairman James Benn — Yes.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant to address the conservation-easement language and construction-timeline concerns in subsequent materials. Staff also updated the commission on previously approved solar projects, a recent site visit to Twitty’s Creek Solar and scheduling for upcoming hearings.