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Charlotte County Planning Commission recommends Tall Pines Solar permit with project‑management condition
Summary
The Planning Commission voted 7‑3 to recommend approval of the Tall Pines Solar conditional use permit and added a requirement that the applicant hire a professional construction firm with solar experience as project manager at the applicant’s expense. Concerns about reclamation and a pending HB206 report were raised in public comment.
The Charlotte County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the Tall Pines Solar conditional use permit after adding a condition requiring the applicant to hire a professional construction firm with solar experience to serve as project manager at the applicant’s cost.
The commission’s third‑party reviewer, Lindsay Edwards of the Berkley Group, told commissioners staff recommends approval and said the applicant’s change in stated capacity from 220 megawatts to 240 megawatts reflected equipment capacity rather than additional equipment or project area and therefore would not change the decommissioning cost estimate. Edwards also said the applicant submitted updated density calculations that account for an additional 65 acres added to the project prior to the April 26 hearing. The conditions approved by the commission require decommissioning costs to be recalculated at the time a building permit is obtained and every five years thereafter.
Commissioner Cornell Goldman moved to recommend approval with the staff conditions; Patrick Andrews seconded. Goldman amended the motion to add the project‑manager requirement; Andrews seconded the amendment. On a roll call vote the tally was: Goldman — Yes; Andrews — Yes; Miller Adams — No; Kenny Howard — Yes; Clark Poindexter — No; W.V. Nichols — Yes; David Watkins — No; Eugene Wells — Yes; James Benn — Yes; Andrew Carwile — Yes. The motion carried 7‑3 with Kerwin Kunath absent.
During conflict‑of‑interest disclosures before the Tall Pines discussion, Patrick Andrews said he is employed by Dominion Energy and operates a land management business but declared he had no conflict related to Tall Pines. Chairman Andrew Carwile disclosed he has a direct interest in property adjacent to land under option for solar development and has property under option through LEGAS Holdings LLC that is not associated with Tall Pines Solar; Cornell Goldman stated he had no conflict.
In public comment, citizen P.K. Pettus cited a Virginia Tech report that identified potential issues with soil compaction and the costs of reclamation after solar development and urged the county to wait for a report from HB206 before issuing additional solar approvals.
The Planning Commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for consideration; no Board action on Tall Pines was recorded at this meeting.
