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Board denies Timberville Solar LLC special-use permit after petition and neighbor opposition
Summary
The Board denied SUP26-0256 for a large-scale solar facility proposed by Timberville Solar LLC after residents submitted a 578-signature petition and cited concerns including noise, water use, visual impacts and uncertainty over battery storage conversion; the vote was 4–0 (Chair Longcor absent).
Senior Planner Kayla R. Yankey presented SUP26-0256 for a proposed large-scale solar energy facility at 15628 Lone Pine Drive. Attorney Matt Gooch reminded the Board that the County adopted a comprehensive solar ordinance in 2021 and said the developer selected the site because it complied with the ordinance; Summit Ridge Energy Project Developer Ben Gillespie described the project and offered to add a condition stipulating no conversion to a battery storage facility.
Opponents submitted a petition with 578 signatures and multiple adjacent landowners and residents spoke in opposition, citing proximity to homes, continuous noise/buzzing, water consumption for cooling, disposal concerns, visual impacts, potential declines in property values and uncertainty about who would receive the generated energy. The Board heard clarifications from the developer and staff and then denied the special-use permit by a roll-call vote recorded 4–0 (Longcor absent).
