Board approves two small solar projects, hears presentation on 150‑MW County Line proposal
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Summary
The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors approved two solar conditional‑use permits — the 1.9 MW Charlotte Solar 1 (Gibson) and the 3 MW Charlotte Solar 2 (Goldman) — after public hearings that drew multiple supporters and opponents. A separate 150‑MW CPV County Line Solar proposal was presented and drew extensive public comment but was not decided.
The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors approved two conditional‑use permits for solar projects and heard extensive public comment on several proposed facilities at its Feb. 14 meeting.
Supervisor Gary D. Walker moved to approve the Charlotte Solar 1 (Gibson) application with staff‑recommended conditions, including financial terms discussed by County Administrator Daniel Witt; the motion passed 5‑2, with Supervisors Noah Davis and Henry Carwile voting No. The Gibson project was described in the staff presentation as a 1.9‑megawatt shared‑solar facility sited in the General Agriculture zoning district south of Pamplin; staff recommended approval with conditions, and the motion included an explicit financial condition discussed by staff of $25,000 per megawatt.
The Board later approved the Charlotte Solar 2 (Goldman) conditional‑use permit by a 6‑1 vote, with Supervisor Carwile voting No. County staff and the project developer, Jesse Dimond of New Energy Equity, presented the site design, shared‑solar benefits and planned environmental safeguards.
Separately, The Berkley Group presented the CPV County Line Solar Conditional‑Use Permit. Michael Zehner described the CPV County Line Solar proposal as a 150‑megawatt AC utility‑scale system occupying approximately 760 acres within the fence line near the county’s northern border; Marlon dos Santos of Competitive Power Ventures said the company plans local hiring and will hold job fairs in Charlotte County. The minutes record extensive oral comment both for and against the CPV proposal, and a number of written comments were filed but not read into the oral record. The CPV proposal was presented and discussed but no final action on that application is recorded in the minutes for this meeting.
Public comment at the hearing was split. Dozens of residents spoke, with supporters including members of the Carwile and Goldman families and others who cited landowner benefits and jobs; opponents raised concerns about impacts on agriculture, historic and cultural resources, environmental effects and public health. During the general public‑comment period, Jeremy Schneider cited the U.S. agricultural census, saying approximately 4,320 Virginia farms were lost over five years, and Kathy Liston urged the Board to consider a Cultural Resource Review Board to advise on projects under the 5‑megawatt threshold that may not trigger a Department of Historic Resources review.
What happens next: the approved Gibson and Goldman projects will proceed under the conditions set by staff and the Board. The CPV County Line Solar proposal will remain on the Board’s docket for future consideration; no approval is recorded in the Feb. 14 minutes.