Long County commissioners approve conditional use for 150‑megawatt solar farm

Long County commissioners voted unanimously April 2 to approve Conditional Use CU‑024‑003, allowing CROS bn, LLC to construct and operate a 150‑megawatt solar farm on two tax parcels.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Jessica Smith told the board the two properties are zoned Agricultural Forestry and together total 14,302.43 acres; she said the project itself would use 2,466.7 acres and recommended approval of the conditional use. "My recommendation is to approve the Conditional Use for the Solar Farm," Jessica Smith said during the public hearing.

Franchesca Metcalf, a representative of CROS bn, LLC, said the facility would have a "30–40‑year life span" and described it as a "150‑megawatt solar farm." Metcalf said the company’s lease covers about 2,500 acres, that roughly 1,200 to 1,500 acres are wetlands, and that construction is planned to begin in 2026. She said the company will decommission the site and restore it to current use at the end of operations and that the project is expected to increase the county tax base and local economic input.

There were no public objections recorded during the hearing portion for this item. Chairman Robert Parker moved to approve the conditional use; Commissioner John Reddish seconded the motion, and the board approved it unanimously.

The approval is for the conditional use only; the company and county will still need to meet any permitting and environmental-review requirements before construction begins as described in the project presentation. The board’s minutes record the Long County Health Department’s later role in another agenda item; no separate county permit conditions for the solar project were recorded in the minutes of this meeting.

The board adopted the vote during the April 2 meeting; the clerk’s signed minutes include a separate adoption line that lists "Adopted this 7th day of March 2024," which appears to be a clerical date inconsistency in the meeting minutes.