Planning commission defers Dogwood Lane 4 MW solar permit until Kenbridge weighs in

The Lunenburg County Planning Commission unanimously voted June 2 to defer a recommendation on CUP-4-21, a conditional-use application for a 4 megawatt solar array on Dogwood Lane, saying it would wait for a formal recommendation from the Town of Kenbridge before advising the Board of Supervisors.

The project applicant, represented by Andrew Hull of Apex, told the commission the array would use about 15 acres of a 32.48-acre parcel in an A‑1 (agricultural) zone and has a signed interconnection agreement with Dominion. Hull said the site connects to the Kenbridge substation, that the project is part of a shared-solar program, and that an air‑quality review is in process. He also described planned buffers, a VDOT‑cleared entrance, no mass grading, and decommissioning provisions in keeping with the county’s solar facility standards.

During questions, Chairman James Tharpe and others pressed the applicant on several points, including how the project achieves the applicant’s stated density metric (about 3.75 acres per megawatt). Commissioners also raised procedural concerns after county staff said the developer had contacted the Town of Kenbridge directly despite being instructed to work through county channels. Mr. Hull apologized on the record, saying, "they did not have any malintent when they did this." Clerk Taylor N. Newton told the commission the Town of Kenbridge Planning Commission had reviewed the materials but had not provided a formal recommendation to the town council.

Lindsay Edwards of the Berkley Group summarized the staff report and presented three possible recommendations the commission could send to the Board of Supervisors: recommend approval with conditions noted in the staff report, recommend denial, or defer the decision. After property owner Dicky Harris said he had met with the developer and the town manager but could not speak for the town, Commissioner Chris Pennington moved to defer the county’s recommendation until Kenbridge issues its recommendation; Commissioner Drummond seconded. A roll-call vote recorded Commissioners Trent, Shell, Drummond, Jennings, Pennington and Tharpe voting in favor; the motion passed unanimously.

The commission took no final action on CUP-4-21 and will revisit the application after it receives a formal recommendation from the Town of Kenbridge. The item will be placed on a future Planning Commission agenda for further consideration once the town’s input is provided.