Lunenburg County panel finds Dogwood Lane Solar in substantial accord with comprehensive plan

Chairman James Tharpe said the Lunenburg County Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to find that Dogwood Lane Solar, LLC’s proposed 4‑megawatt photovoltaic array is "substantially in accord" with the Lunenburg‑Kenbridge‑Victoria Comprehensive Plan.

The commission considered a 15.2‑2232 hearing for CUP‑4‑21, a Code of Virginia process that determines whether a proposed project is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan before a zoning amendment or Conditional Use Permit is reviewed. The project would occupy two parcels totaling 32.48 acres off Main Street (Route 40) and Dogwood Lane near Kenbridge and connect to the Kenbridge substation.

Justin Vanderbroeck of ESA Solar, working with Apex, presented the project as a community solar installation under the Virginia Shared Solar Program. Vanderbroeck said the array would be a fixed‑tilt design approximately 9 feet high, require routine maintenance about once or twice a week, and that the site would preserve vegetated buffers along the periphery and follow existing topography during construction. He said an interconnection study with Dominion is under way and that the developer expects an interconnection agreement within one to two quarters; any required distribution upgrades would be completed at the applicant’s expense.

Michael Zehner of the Berkley Group delivered the staff report, summarizing relevant Comprehensive Plan policies the commission considered, including guidance on solar facilities, loss of agricultural land and open space, protection of water resources, corridor development, and economic and land‑use goals. Zehner outlined staff analysis and offered options the commission could adopt.

One member of the public, Richard W. Harris of Kenbridge, spoke in support of the project. No one spoke in opposition during the public comment period.

Commissioners asked technical questions, including whether panels would track the sun; Vanderbroeck said the design is fixed‑tilt because of terrain constraints. Chair Tharpe noted that a glint‑and‑glare study had been completed because of the site’s proximity to the local airport and that the study raised no concerns.

Chairman Tharpe provided the commission’s rationale in support of the finding, saying in part that the site has "adequate and necessary utility access and the project constitutes a more environmentally friendly industrial use," and that setbacks, screening and other conditions could mitigate compatibility issues with adjacent residential and agricultural uses. Commissioner Walter Thompson moved that the project is substantially in accord with the Comprehensive Plan; Commissioner Cecil Shell seconded. The motion passed by unanimous roll call of commissioners present (Tharpe, Pennington, Jennings, Shell, Trent, Thompson).

Assistant County Attorney Drew DiStanislao updated the commission on ongoing work on an Event Venue Definition and related ordinance (old business), and the commission set its next meeting for April 7, 2022. The meeting adjourned at 7:37 p.m.

Notes on what the commission did not decide: this hearing was limited to the 15.2‑2232 determination of consistency with the Comprehensive Plan; it did not grant or deny the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) itself, which would be considered in subsequent proceedings where conditions and permit details would be set.