Planning commission defers Tall Pines solar review, seeks 60-day extensions amid environmental concerns

Charlotte County Planning Commission members on Aug. 24, 2021 deferred action on the Tall Pines Solar 2232 review until the applicant holds a community meeting and voted to request 60‑day extensions for the Tall Pines and Randolph Solar reviews.

The moves followed written and spoken public comments from residents who said large-scale solar could harm natural beauty, agricultural land, wetlands and wildlife corridors and urged stronger setbacks and use of Conserve Virginia mapping in siting decisions. Board of Supervisors representative Kay Pierantoni asked the Commission to wait until the applicant held a community meeting before acting on Tall Pines; Commissioners agreed and approved a deferral and an accompanying request for a 60‑day extension.

A county third‑party reviewer, The Berkley Group, presented the 2232 review for Tall Pines and reported that the project generally aligned with the Comprehensive Plan's land‑use goals and strategies but recommended additional studies and review conditions. The reviewers told the Commission a wildlife survey should be required and suggested using a third‑party reviewer for erosion and sediment control plan reviews and inspections to ensure compliance. Darren Coffey and Richard Street presented the findings and emphasized that the Planning Commission must make the determination under §15.2‑2232.

Commissioners balanced those technical recommendations with community input. Residents raised particular concerns about cumulative solar density where Tall Pines would be near Court House Solar, the adequacy of proposed buffers and the environmental risks if a project organized as a limited liability company were to fail. Several commenters urged the county to rely on Conserve Virginia maps when considering applications.

Commissioner William V. Nichols declared a personal interest in the Randolph Solar project and did not participate in Randolph Solar discussion. The Commission voted to request a 60‑day extension for the Randolph 2232 review; the motion carried with Nichols not participating and the remaining members voting in favor.

The Commission also asked staff to pursue scheduling for a work session on battery energy storage systems and solar and to include Board members in that session. The planning staff noted the community‑meeting requirement cited in one application has not been adopted by the Board of Supervisors.

The Commission did not reach a final determination on either Tall Pines or Randolph Solar at the meeting; staff will track the requested extensions and any subsequent community meeting before the next procedural steps.