Planning Commission to consider solar farm in upper James City County

The James City County Planning Commission will weigh whether to recommend approval of a special-use permit needed to build a solar farm in Norge Wednesday.

Ben Vollmer, of Strata Solar Development, has filed a special-use permit application to build a 20-megawatt solar farm at 7150 Richmond Road. The project is contingent on approval of a request to remove about 193 acres of protected land in the Hill Pleasant Farm agricultural and forestal district, according to a staff report.

The district consists of about 391 acres of land. The Planning Commission will separately consider that request at the meeting. Without approval of the land withdrawal, the project cannot go forward, according to the staff report.

A public hearing will precede the Planning Commission’s consideration of the special-use permit and the land withdrawal requests. After the Planning Commission determines its recommendation, the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider final approval for both requests Nov. 12.

Ahead of the meeting, Planning Commission chairman Jack Haldeman said that though the proposal had its drawbacks, it also had its merits.

“The application does not meet all the county’s criteria for a withdrawal, and it violates at least one of the terms of its renewal. Still, there is much to recommend it, not least of which is the lack of negative fiscal, environmental, and traffic impact and the provision of green, renewable energy,” he said in an email.

While staff recommends approval of the special-use permit request, staff doesn’t recommend the land withdrawal, saying the request doesn’t fully meet the criteria for agricultural forestal district land withdrawal. Among the issues with the request is the policy’s aversion to removing land during the term of an agricultural forestal district and that the project doesn’t serve a public purpose.

The project is expected to have limited visibility from roadways and surrounding properties due to the topography and existing vegetation. The project master plan includes a 50-to-75-foot buffer of evergreen trees and other vegetation to screen the project.

The applicant has told the county the project’s lease would be for 30 years with two five-year extension options. At the end of the solar farm’s use, the facility would be dismantled, the staff report states.

The site is flagged as an economic opportunity zone in the county’s comprehensive plan, meaning it’s an area intended for development, job creation and increased non-residential tax revenue. The staff report notes a solar farm isn’t specifically identified as a compatible use, but, given the lease, the solar farm may serve as a transitional use until a more intense economic use comes into play.

If the special-use permit is approved, the facility must be operational within four years or the permit will be void. No structures, including solar panel mounts, at the facility can be taller than 16 feet above finished grade, according to the permit conditions.