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Residents and developers urge dialogue ahead of Nottoway County solar ordinance hearing
Summary
Board set a Dec. 5 public hearing on a proposed solar ordinance as residents and a solar developer urged open dialogue; supporters highlighted potential tax benefits while board members raised siting, regulatory and enforcement concerns.
The Nottoway County Board of Supervisors set a public hearing for Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in the General District Courtroom on a proposed solar ordinance, and county residents and a representative of a solar developer used the meeting to urge more public dialogue and explain potential benefits.
Vince Gibbs, who identified himself as representing the company Ampliform, said the firm has a proposed site on Dennis Tatum’s property and that the project under consideration could add significant tax value. “We’ve calculated that there’s at least $30,000,000 worth of benefits, tax benefits that can be added to the tax rolls,” Gibbs said, urging the board to talk with applicants before deciding. He also told supervisors the panels his team proposes do not use a CadmiumTelluride technology that he characterized as potentially toxic.
Why it matters: Board members and residents said the ordinance as written may limit smaller local projects but would capture larger utility-scale arrays. Supervisors questioned whether the county can extract siting benefits for projects under the 5-megawatt threshold and raised enforcement worries tied to historical DEQ compliance issues.
Supervisors and members of the public discussed a range of technical and regulatory questions, including whether a comprehensive-plan review can allow siting agreements for projects below 5 megawatts, and how DEQ enforces corrective work versus issuing fines. One board member noted Prince Edward County had negotiated siting agreements at sizes under 5 megawatts, while others warned counties that ignore statutory thresholds risk state-level intervention.
The board will finalize the public-hearing advertisement after a planned closed session; supervisors said all materials on the two Dec. 5 hearing items will be posted when available.
