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Lunenburg County planning commission continues study of solar ordinance, flags decommissioning and bond issues for review
Summary
Commissioners at the Sept. 7 meeting outlined topics for a Solar Facility Study including acreage limits, setbacks, vegetative buffers, a draft decommissioning and reclamation plan and a possible performance bond requirement; staff provided an electronic draft of the ordinance for further review.
The Lunenburg County Planning Commission continued a review of a county Solar Facility Study at its Sept. 7, 2023 meeting, identifying a set of ordinance elements to examine before making formal recommendations.
Chairman James Tharpe and staff outlined a list of topics for review: considerations in the Comprehensive Plan (loss of agricultural land and protection of water resources), and solar ordinance details including acreage coverage, project area and density limits, fees, a draft decommissioning and reclamation plan, setbacks, vegetative buffers and the treatment of prime farmland. Commissioners asked for additional time to review materials and staff confirmed an electronic copy of a draft ordinance had been provided to the commission.
Assistant County Attorney Drew DiStanislao described the purpose of a performance bond requirement as a financial assurance mechanism the county could use to secure funds for reclamation or corrective work if a developer fails to comply with conditions; he compared it conceptually to bonding used for other county projects and noted the county could pursue the bonding agent if the developer did not meet obligations. Commissioners said they wanted more time to study examples from neighboring localities and to consider specific drafting language; Commissioner Harry C. Garrett said the neighboring localities' information he reviewed provided limited guidance.
No ordinance amendments or binding decisions were adopted at the meeting. The commission set the topic for continued review and will discuss potential ordinance language and policy at a future meeting; the next Planning Commission meeting was announced for Oct. 5, 2023.
