Planning Commission sends state agrivoltaics definition to public hearing after debate on pollinator inclusion

Rockbridge County staff presented a draft zoning text amendment to align the county’s agrivoltaics definition with the uniform definition adopted by the General Assembly in House Bill 508, which takes effect July 1, 2026. Staff read a proposed local definition mirroring the state language and explained the county’s limited ability to change the wording.

Commissioner Anthony Subrizi warned the narrower state definition could complicate existing local approaches that allowed pollinator-friendly plantings alongside solar facilities and raised enforcement concerns, including how applicants would guarantee agrivoltaic activity for the life of a project. County Attorney John Dryden and staff noted the state definition confines the designation to agricultural operations and could be tied to future incentives, limiting local discretion.

After discussion, the Commission voted to take the draft agrivoltaics definition to public hearing on August 12, 2026; the vote was 3–1 (Ayes: Sandridge, Melvin, Whitmore; Nay: Subrizi). The draft definition presented in the packet read in part: "Agrivoltaics means, the intentional co-location of agricultural production and solar energy generation on the same land that (i) is designed to prioritize and sustain agricultural productivity while simultaneously integrating renewable energy generation..." Staff said the local amendment is intended to bring the County Code into compliance with state law; the public hearing will allow applicants, neighbors, and other stakeholders to provide comment.