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Planning Commission opens study of solar rules, reviews floodplain maps and upcoming comprehensive plan work
Summary
The Board tasked the Commission and Solar Facilities Committee to study possible solar ordinance and comprehensive plan amendments; commissioners identified topics including project siting, spacing, size, buffers for towns, prime farmland protections, and the percentage of county land for solar. The Commission also reviewed preliminary floodplain maps and solicited community input.
The Planning Commission on Aug. 3 began a countywide review of solar policy after the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution asking the Solar Facilities Committee, the Planning Commission and the Board to study potential amendments to the zoning ordinances, solar ordinance and the comprehensive plan.
Assistant County Attorney Drew DiStanislao outlined topics the Commission should study and discuss at its September meeting: project location; distance between projects; size of projects; a radius around towns; protections for prime farmland and prime timberland; and the percentage of county farmland to be allocated for solar. There is no set deadline for the study, and DiStanislao emphasized the importance of a careful review rather than a rushed process. Chairman James "Buck" Tharpe clarified that the county had not halted all solar projects, but had paused to study amendments; existing applications in the queue will continue to be processed.
Commissioners raised questions about possible caps. Attorney DiStanislao said any cap would need to be "reasonably calculated" and could not be arbitrary. Commissioner Trent asked whether a cap would be permanent or annual; Mrs. King said a cap measured in megawatts could encourage many small projects rather than a few larger ones and therefore might not produce the intended result. Commissioners also discussed the difficulty of defining "project area" consistently for acreage totals.
Mrs. King listed several solar projects already approved or in progress in the county: Red Brick Solar, Dogwood Lane Solar, Wheelhouse Solar, Laurel Branch Solar, Laurel Branch Switchyard and Oral Oaks Solar. Mrs. King also noted the county's membership in the Rural Solar Development Coalition (RSDC) as a resource for research and best practices.
Separately, Mrs. King reviewed links to the Preliminary Floodplain Maps and asked commissioners to provide community input; commissioners with relevant professional backgrounds offered perspectives and had no follow-up questions. Mrs. King said an amended Floodplain Ordinance will be forwarded to the Commission for future review. She also outlined plans for the Joint Comprehensive Plan review and asked commissioners to consider serving on a working committee or suggesting citizen representatives.
Next steps: the Commission will study the listed solar topics and discuss recommendations at its September meeting; no timeline for final changes was set.
