Lunenburg supervisors approve 60 MW Wheelhouse Solar CUP and siting agreement; one abstention

The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors on June 8 approved a conditional use permit (CUP 8-22) and a related siting agreement for Wheelhouse Solar, a proposed 60-megawatt utility-scale array spanning nine parcels and about 676 acres west/northwest of Victoria, Va. The motions passed with six supervisors voting yes and Supervisor Frank Bacon abstaining after disclosing he owns property that could be used in solar projects.

The decision followed a presentation from Community Development Director Taylor King and Garrett Weeks of Palladium Energy describing the project’s scope, environmental buffers, community outreach and a decommissioning plan. Lindsay Edwards of The Berkley Group, the county’s third-party reviewer, said the application is consistent with the county’s Comprehensive Plan and offered the board options to approve with conditions, deny, or defer.

Assistant County Attorney Drew DiStanislao told the board the siting agreement had been amended to align with the CUP, reviewed the payment schedule and tax assessment provisions, and said the agreement adds a liquidated-damages clause and a performance-bond requirement. DiStanislao also noted that "Virginia code allows for localities to require assistance in allowing surrounding land owners to access broadband connections as the solar facility connects for their own purposes." The siting agreement language was updated to reflect those elements.

Four speakers from the public — Blake Cox, Lane Gunn, Meri Page Spencer and David Wells — spoke in support of the project during the public hearing. Board members moved to approve the CUP and the siting agreement after the hearing; both measures passed with six yeas and one abstention recorded.

The meeting also produced several policy moves related to solar development. The board unanimously approved increasing the conditional use permit application fee for utilities from $2,500 to $5,000, citing higher inspection workload and associated costs. Planning Commission Chairman Buck Tharpe told the board that the commission is "overwhelmed with solar projects" and asked for a pause on new CUP applications so staff and the commission can develop a policy on application volume and review standards. The board directed County Attorney Frank Rennie and Assistant County Attorney Drew DiStanislao to research what holds the county can lawfully place on new applications and return with recommendations in 30–60 days.

Separately, the board unanimously approved a transfer of the Dogwood Lane Solar project: Apex Clean Energy will sell the project to Summit Ridge Energy, which agreed to assume Apex’s obligations under the existing siting agreement and CUP conditions. Summit Ridge representatives presented their financial partners and experience; the county’s Finance Committee reviewed a proprietary financial audit and reported no concerns.

The board’s actions amount to conditional approval of Wheelhouse Solar under negotiated terms and adjustments to how the county will manage incoming solar projects: higher permit fees immediately, and potential procedural pause or policy changes under legal review. The board did not set an implementation timetable for the hold on new applications; county attorneys were asked to report back to the board with options.

The board will reconvene on June 29 for additional budget and procedural business, at which point any follow-up from county attorneys on solar application holds may appear on the agenda.