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AES and residents urge careful balance between solar growth and rural character in Surry
Summary
An AES representative and several residents told the Planning Commission they support responsible solar development but urged clarity on setbacks, stabilization definitions, bond amounts and community protections; comments ranged from full support to calls for stricter enforcement.
Representatives of AES, local residents and nonprofits addressed the commission during public comment, offering both support for solar development and requests for clearer rules. Tara Pascarosa, a property owner with family roots in rural Virginia, told the commission that solar is "inevitable in Virginia" and urged officials not to lower a solar cap that could force rushed projects.
Greg Cresswell of AES described the company’s engagement with the Sycamore Cross project and urged clearer definitions for setbacks, stabilization and bonds. "These set setbacks would leave too small of a buildable area to make a smaller project parcel usable," Cresswell said, adding that bond provisions should specify what the bond covers and how amounts will be calculated.
Other commenters raised enforcement issues and local impacts: Susan Crabella described instances where agreed mitigation measures (truck routes, site maintenance) were not followed on a prior project and asked what the county can do to pause work when conditions are violated. Staff responded that CUP conditions are enforceable agreements and that requiring independent engineer reports in applications can create enforceable commitments.
