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Residents urge Halifax County to limit industrial solar and let districts vote on controversial projects
Summary
Multiple residents told the board that large-scale solar projects and data centers threaten farmland, rural character and local control; speakers asked the county to require district-level votes for controversial projects and raised compliance concerns about Boxwood Solar Farm.
Several residents used the citizen-comment period to press the Halifax County Board of Supervisors to reconsider how the county approves industrial-scale solar and data centers.
"When it comes to 3 controversial issues, solar projects, data centers, battery storage facilities, . . . let the people of that district vote in a district election," said Sue Hughes Thompson, who identified herself at the mic and described the county as "approximately 531,000 acres" (she urged local referenda so neighbors can decide siting). Thompson also raised the Boxwood Solar project as an example: she asked why controversy was allowed to persist through planning and to the board after the developer spent millions to meet requirements.
Other residents framed the debate as one balancing property rights and community character. "Agricultural land exists for farming, forestry, open space, and rural communities, not industrial development," said Scarlett Brandon, arguing that zoning exists to "balance everyone's rights, not just the one person's financial opportunity." Brooke Clay and others warned of infrastructure impacts and questioned the comparative fiscal benefit of proposed solar projects versus major employers such as Hitachi.
The speakers cited specific regulatory and enforcement concerns: Christine McKinney asked the board to consider long-term environmental impacts and intergenerational effects; Stacy Long recounted a recent DEQ enforcement action and asked who is responsible for oversight and for ensuring water and soil safety in early projects.
The board did not take immediate action on any of the requests; Chair (presiding officer) invited staff and the board to research legal options and follow up at a future meeting.
