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Staff reports solar siting bond raised to 200%, erosion ordinance recodified and county will draft dispensary and data-center rules
Summary
County planning staff reported the board raised the decommissioning bond for solar siting to 200% of project value, recodified the county's erosion, sediment control and stormwater ordinance to align with the state's model, and said staff will draft supplemental regulations for data centers and dispensaries ahead of retail marijuana availability July 1, 2027.
County planning staff updated the commission on recent Board of Supervisors actions and upcoming regulatory work affecting solar projects, data centers and dispensaries.
"The decommissioning bond is now set at 200% of the project value," Mr. Love told the commission, describing a change to the county's solar siting template approved at the board level. He said this was one of the major changes to the siting agreement template and will be part of the new template going forward for any future applications.
Staff also reported that the board repealed, reordained and recodified the county's erosion, sediment control and stormwater ordinance and updated it to the state model template, which Mr. Love said brings the county into compliance with the Code of Virginia.
On data centers, Mr. Love said the county has been researching regulations and looking at other jurisdictions' approaches (for example, Mecklenburg) and that the county has not received a formal application or signed an NDA; there have been no scoping meetings and no finalized site plans. He described planned supplemental regulations to address typical concerns such as generator noise, HVAC noise, groundwater use, light pollution and best management practices.
Mr. Love also said a budget amendment will allow retail recreational marijuana sales beginning July 1, 2027, and that localities will be able to impose a local tax in a range similar to cigarette or alcohol taxes (1–3.5%). He said the county will draft use definitions and supplemental regulations for dispensaries, focusing on retail locations and separately classifying industrial or processing activities.
Staff noted other minor inquiries — a single-seat hair salon and solar company contacts — but said no sites were ready yet. The county confirmed that a previously approved communications tower has received building and zoning permits and is on schedule.
Staff told the commission it will prepare draft supplemental regulations on data centers and dispensaries and bring those drafts back to the planning commission for consideration; no final regulatory action was taken at the meeting.
