Hampshire County keeps planning commission's SALDO text after hours of public comment over Capon Springs wind project

The Hampshire County Commission voted April 28 to adopt the version of a SALDO amendment recommended by the county Planning Commission after a lengthy public hearing that drew dozens of speakers both for and against a proposed wind project on Capon Springs property.

The vote approved moving forward with the Planning Commission's text rather than adopting a competing floor amendment that would have changed how setback distances apply at county and state borders. Commissioners debated legal risk, private-property rights and the ordinance's ability to protect neighbors'views and environmental resources.

Why it mattered: The amendment is tied to a proposed CPV Springs Wind Project on land owned by Capon Springs Resorts. Supporters including resort managers and guests said the project would bring large private investment and sustained tax revenue. Opponents, largely nearby residents, said turbines would permanently alter views, harm wildlife and reduce quality of life for long-term residents.

"The planning commission invested significant time and effort into a version that, although restrictive, was reasonable," said Liz Sailor, general manager of Capon Springs and Farms, urging the commission to remove the late amendment and honor the Planning Commission recommendation.

Jake Brumbach, project manager for CPV Springs Wind, described the proposal as a 150-megawatt project sited away from resort facilities that would avoid additional transmission build-out; he asserted projected lifetime tax revenues of more than $20 million and asked the commission to remain consistent with the Planning Commission version.

Residents and longtime landowners pushed back. "I hope to live in this county when I grow up," said 12-year-old Sadie Hott, testifying that the ridgeline and sunrise views would be "wrecked" by turbines. Other speakers cited wildlife concerns, karst geology that feeds Capon Springs and petitions they said carried roughly 1,600 signatures opposing industrial-scale renewables in the county.

Commissioners discussed legal bounds and policy trade-offs. Commissioner Mance framed the amendment's removal of a late carve-out as an effort to protect nearby residents and said the county should build findings of fact to document the research behind the standards. Commissioner Edgerton emphasized private-property rights and urged caution about regulations the county might not be able to defend in court.

After debate the commission took a voice vote and the motion to move forward with the Planning Commission's version passed. The transcript records the motion passing but does not include a roll-call tally.

What happens next: The commission entered routine business, approved probate and invoices, and adjourned. The SALDO amendment will be part of the formal record and subject to whatever subsequent procedural steps or legal review the county follows.

Details and sources: The commission's hearing included statements from the Planning Commission history (Commissioner Mance), the CPV project manager (Jake Brumbach), multiple Capon Springs staff and many Hampshire County residents who testified during the public-comment period. The commission also adopted a Fair Housing Month resolution earlier in the meeting referencing the federal Fair Housing Act (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) and a West Virginia statute recorded in the transcript as title 49-2-305.

The hearing record shows competing concerns about tourism and local economic benefits, environmental and wildlife impacts, legal defensibility of setbacks that reach across adjacent jurisdiction boundaries, and the tension between protecting neighbors and upholding private-property rights.