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Board approves Boxwood Solar project despite neighborhood opposition
Summary
After a contentious hearing with many residents opposed, the Halifax County Board of Supervisors approved a Conditional Use Permit for the 69 MW Boxwood Solar facility on a 5-3 vote, adding a neighborhood safety condition and several mitigation measures.
The Halifax County Board of Supervisors voted 5-3 on June 30 to approve a Conditional Use Permit for CEP Solar’s proposed 69-megawatt Boxwood Solar facility in Election District 1, following a heated public hearing and extended debate.
Supervisor Pete Riddle moved to deny the project, citing traffic and wetlands concerns, but Vice Chair Robbie Smart offered a substitute motion to approve the permit with 42 conditions. The substitute motion carried with Roll Call: Yes — Chair Larry Roller, Supervisor Jeff Oakes, Supervisor Dennis Witt, Vice Chair Robbie Smart, and Supervisor Monte Thompson; No — Supervisor Pete Riddle, Supervisor Keith McDowell, and Supervisor Bryant Claiborne.
Board discussion highlighted several recurring concerns. Riddle emphasized construction traffic on narrow local roads and potential impacts to roughly 75 acres of wetlands, saying the scale of development merited denying further utility-scale solar. Supervisor Bryant Claiborne cited precedent, noting a prior denial of an ATV park in the same area because of road-safety issues and said: "the same roadway safety concerns exist with the proposed Boxwood Solar project." Vice Chair Smart framed his support in economic terms, arguing that the project would generate rent payments to participating landowners, tax revenue and siting payments to the County, and local construction work.
CEP Solar’s representative, Rob Propst, read a proposed construction mitigation condition into the record intended to address neighborhood safety: "Prior to the start of construction, the project will form a neighborhood group that will serve as a venue for participants to share their thoughts on the safe and efficient use of the roads, including the identification of traffic-calming measures..." The board incorporated that and other conditions into the approval.
The vote followed a joint public hearing during which county staff recorded 26 speakers: 20 opposed and six in support. After the vote, several audience members voiced objections and a number of residents expressed disappointment with the outcome.
The Board’s approval under Virginia Code §15.2-2232 does not itself begin construction; the motion found the project substantially in accord with the County’s Comprehensive Plan and the CUP includes the 42 conditions approved by the Board. The County will also consider the associated Solar Siting Agreement and permit compliance steps as the project moves forward.
