Lunenburg County adopts revised Solar Facilities Ordinance after public hearing

The Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 14 unanimously adopted a revised Solar Facilities Ordinance that the board and staff said reflects changes requested during earlier review and public comment.

Assistant County Attorney Drew DiStanislao told the board that the Solar Committee had reviewed citizen input and that only the highlighted changes were being presented for comment; he said indemnification would be determined on a project-by-project basis and that developers would be responsible for third‑party review costs. The revisions referenced material discussed at a May 8, 2025 draft review and additional amendments introduced at the Aug. 14 hearing.

The ordinance, as adopted, removes a small‑scale solar category, alters project narrative and preliminary site‑plan requirements, adds a 1‑mile town‑limit consideration, sets a 4% density cap within a 5‑mile radius, and clarifies indemnification and reimbursement expectations. Members of the public who addressed the board during the hearing included Kevin St. John (who read an email submitted by James W. Long), Sandra Town, Dylan Taylor, Eric Lord, Robin Wrenn and Harry Kingery; their remarks were recorded in the public hearing portion of the minutes.

Board members voted to approve the ordinance following the hearing. No vote tallies were recorded beyond the board’s unanimous approval. Assistant County Attorney DiStanislao also reminded the board that the county currently maintains a pause on solar project applications and that the board will need to decide when to resume accepting applications and to set any updated financial terms for applications and siting agreements.

The ordinance adoption concludes the board’s May and August deliberations; the minutes do not record a timetable for when the county will reopen its application process.