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Charlotte County planning commission recommends approval of 800‑MW Randolph Solar permit with conditions
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Summary
After staff recommended denial citing density and mitigation concerns, the Charlotte County Planning Commission voted 6-3 (with one abstention) to recommend approval of Randolph Virginia Solar LLC’s 800‑megawatt Conditional Use Permit, adding conditions including a required applicant-paid construction manager with solar experience.
The Charlotte County Planning Commission voted 6-3 on May 3, 2022, to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve Randolph Virginia Solar LLC’s Conditional Use Permit for an 800‑megawatt solar energy facility, adding conditions intended to limit impacts and require a professional construction manager at the applicant’s expense.
The decision followed an updated staff report from Michael Zehner of the Berkley Group, who told commissioners that staff was "recommending denial of the application based on project size, inability to mitigate impacts, and uncertainties associated with the concept plan." Zehner said the applicant’s density calculation appeared to use a nonconforming definition from the county zoning ordinance and warned that placing stormwater management features inside the fenced project area could further increase calculated density.
Commissioner Miller Adams moved to recommend denial under Option 1 in the staff report, saying the commission should find the proposed use exceeded the maximum density under Section 10‑23‑6 of the Charlotte County Zoning Ordinance and that the project’s size and scale would harm agricultural and forestry uses and local historic and natural resources. That motion was seconded by David Watkins but failed on a roll-call vote of 3‑6, with Commissioner W.V. Nichols abstaining because he owns a parcel in the project area and declared a legal conflict.
After the denial motion failed, Commissioner Eugene Wells moved to recommend approval under Option 2 with conditions. Wells later amended his motion to require "a professional construction firm with solar experience be engaged as project manager at the cost of the applicant," an amendment that was seconded by Cornell Goldman and added to the approval. Commissioners also discussed and adjusted conditions addressing density limits, removal of the investment‑grade credit rating as an acceptable decommissioning guarantee, caps on acreage used for equipment, and restrictions on relocating panels.
On the amended approval motion the roll-call vote was: Wells — Yes; Goldman — Yes; Benn — Yes; Howard — Yes; Kunath — Yes; Carwile — Yes; Watkins — No; Poindexter — No; Adams — No; Nichols — Abstain (conflict). The motion carried 6‑3 with one abstention.
The commission’s discussion also included questions about construction traffic and road impacts, the county reviewer’s process, and remarks about potential conflicts of interest tied to local business relationships. Commissioner Hazel Bowman Smith described the South‑Central Virginia Business Alliance (SCVBA), organized by SolUnesco, and said membership could create preferred business opportunities that should preclude voting on related projects; Cornell Goldman said he had resigned from the SCVBA board the week before the meeting because of public‑perception concerns.
The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors for final action. The Planning Commission noted a May 13 deadline to provide a recommendation and adjourned after approving the motion.