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Planning commission sends proposed transmission‑line rule change to public hearing
Summary
The commission instructed staff to prepare a zoning text amendment to allow major public utility services (limited to transmission lines) by special exception in R‑1 and R‑2 districts — excluding substations, generating plants, battery storage and large data/wastewater facilities — and scheduled a public hearing for June 10, 2026.
The Rockbridge County Planning Commission on May 13 directed staff to finalize a proposed zoning text amendment that would create a path for public utility transmission lines to be allowed by special exception in residential zones while explicitly excluding large‑scale facilities such as generating plants and substations.
Staff told commissioners Dominion Energy has been in contact about an application to rebuild portions of an existing transmission line that cross residential zoning districts from the Rockbridge substation toward Lexington and Buena Vista. To accommodate such work without allowing unrelated industrial uses in residential areas, staff proposed adding a special‑exception provision to R‑1 and R‑2 that would permit public utility service major uses defined narrowly to transmission lines and similar infrastructure.
"What that does is it would provide for a path forward for Dominion to apply for the existing transmission line in a residential zoning district while limiting other uses in a residential district that might not fit as well as existing transmission lines," staff said.
Commissioners discussed the scope and confirmed that very large transmission lines (roughly 138 kV and above) are generally exempt from local zoning, while many local lines (notably the 115 kV lines at issue) are not exempt and therefore would require local action. Commissioners also clarified that the amendment would exclude generating plants, electric substations, large battery storage, data centers and wastewater/water treatment plants.
Tony Spreesi moved and Adam Sandridge seconded a motion to instruct staff to finalize the draft and set a public hearing for June 10, 2026. The motion passed unanimously.
Next steps: staff will finalize the draft amendment and advertise a public hearing for the June 10 Planning Commission meeting; any subsequent recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors for action if the commission forwards the item.
