Supervisors wrap up public business for 2024; Planning Commission to consider utility-scale solar facility, hold three other public hearings; News roundup
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, Dec. 9 through Dec. 14
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County occasionally schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Wednesday, December 11
James River Water Authority, Fluvanna County Administration Building, 132 Main St., Palmyra, 9 am. At publication time, a meeting agenda wasn't publicly available.
Louisa County Water Authority, 23 Loudin Lane, Louisa, 6 pm. At publication time, a meeting agenda wasn't publicly available.
Thursday, December 12
Louisa County Planning Commission, long-range planning work session, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 5 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Louisa County Planning Commission, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 7 pm. (agenda packet, livestream)
Other meetings and events
Monday, December 9
Mineral Town Council, Mineral Town Hall, 312 Mineral Ave., Mineral, 6:30 pm. (agenda packet)
Friday, December 13
10th Senate District Republican Mass Meeting, Goochland Sports Complex, 1800 Sandy Hook Road, Goochland. Registration begins at 4:30 pm. Meeting begins at 6:30 pm.
Republicans in the 10th State Senate District will choose their nominee to replace Sen. John McGuire (R-Goochland), who's vacating the seat after winning the 5th District congressional race in early November. The party-run nominating contest is open to registered voters who reside in the district. Participants will be credentialed upon check-in and must provide a government-issued photo ID. Click here for more information. Click here to read Engage Louisa’s story about the mass meeting and special election in last week’s edition.
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Supervisors wrap up public business for 2024
At its final meeting of calendar year 2024, the Louisa County Board of Supervisors wrapped up public business in short order. Supervisors won’t discuss county business in a public forum again until 2025. (meeting materials, video)
In a meeting that lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, the board adopted a policy for honorary road namings, discussed the future of Household Hazardous Waste Day, formed a committee to contemplate the use of an influx of tax revenue that’s expected to be generated by data center development and more.
Supes instruct staff to ‘stay the course’ on Household Hazardous Waste Day
In the face of rising costs, supervisors said they don’t want to roll back opportunities for residents to dispose of toxic household items at a biennial county-sponsored event, instructing County Administrator Christian Goodwin to look for other ways to save money.
Each spring and fall, the county hosts Household Hazardous Waste Day at the Louisa County Landfill, allowing residents to dispose of computer equipment, paint, cleaning products, fluorescent bulbs and other toxic materials free of charge.
In a memo to the board, Goodwin explained that because hazardous waste poses an environmental threat, its disposal in the landfill is “controlled.” To help ensure that its discarded properly, the county brings in a special contractor for one day in April and October who accepts the waste directly from citizens and charges the county for its disposal on a per item basis.
As the program has grown in popularity, Goodwin said, its cost has sharply increased. He pointed to a chart showing that the program’s price tag has more than doubled in the last five years. In 2019, the county paid about $65,000 for the service and about $80 per vehicle. This year, the program cost about $150,000, about $258 per vehicle. In the last year alone, the cost of the program jumped about $60,000.
“You can see that people are either bringing more things or more expensive things,” Goodwin said.
Goodwin said that he wanted to bring the increase to the board’s attention and asked for direction on how the county should handle the program going forward.
“There are really two schools of thought. I am not sure there is a right or wrong to this. One school of thought would be this is the cost of doing business, and this is the cost of keeping items out of our landfill that shouldn’t be in the landfill and maybe items also from being deposited in other areas of the county,” Goodwin said. “Certainly, another school of thought would be the board might consider trying to control these costs by putting some type of limit, say you can only bring this number of things and this weight of those things.”
Board members said they’d prefer that the county not impose any item limits or weight restrictions and look for other ways to offset costs.
“I think it is something that we need to continue doing. I know that it is a cost and it’s an expense. But, in a district that has an historic district, I routinely see large items that probably would be accepted on these days. I think I would see more of them [if the county limited this service],” Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones said.
Goodwin said that the county currently operates the program under a state contract but plans to put it out for bid in hopes of finding a cheaper vendor. He also said that staff is always on the lookout for grants and other funding opportunities.
“The general consensus of what I’ve heard [from the board] so far is ‘stay the course in providing the service, but, if you can provide the service more cheaply with a different vendor or find any alternative options, employ that.’ That makes perfect sense to me,” he said.
Board adopts honorary road naming policy
Supervisors voted 7-0 to establish an honorary road naming policy.
The policy lays out guidelines and criteria for naming a slice of road in a citizen’s honor, reserving the symbolic measure for individuals with strong connections to Louisa County who either earned national or international acclaim or made “ultimate sacrifices in service to the community or country.” It limits the approval of honorary road namings to one per year.
Louisa District Supervisor Manning Woodward prompted the policy’s creation after he requested that the board name a mile-long stretch of Davis Highway in front of Louisa County High School in honor of Col. Samuel Nelson Drew.
A 1966 LCHS grad, Drew served a distinguished career in the US Air Force and as a diplomat with the State Department, playing a key role in bringing peace to the Balkans. In 1995, he died in an accident while travelling in the region and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by then-president Bill Clinton.
Woodward and Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones worked with staff to draft the policy, first floating a proposal that limited honorary namings to people with strong ties to the county who garnered recognition at a national or international level including, but not limited to, “receiving awards or honors conferred by national or international bodies” or making notable contributions in fields such as government, military, arts and culture, sports, or business.
At Jones’ request, the committee then broadened the eligibility criteria to allow for recognition of first responders, law enforcement and members of the military who died in the line of duty.
Before approving the policy, the board made one other change, removing a proposed provision that would’ve allowed supervisors to nominate anyone for an honorary road naming regardless of the criteria laid out in the policy.
“I think, if we are going to do it, the board should follow the same guidelines as everybody else,” Mountain Road District Supervisor Tommy Barlow said.
Patrick Henry District Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes agreed, contending that allowing board members to select someone for the honor without regard to the policy could lead to problematic nominations.
“You could get one board member to nominate somebody that’s real controversial,” he said.
Under the policy, residents, organizations and county officials could present naming requests to the board for consideration via a formal application process. The board would review each application to ensure the nominee meets eligibility requirements and vote on whether to name a section of roadway in the nominee’s honor.
If supervisors opt to move forward with the naming, county officials would “coordinate with relevant departments and stakeholders to establish an honorary road name in honor of the individual,” per the policy.
The organization or individual that submitted the application would be required to cover the cost of signage and a dedication ceremony would be arranged to provide “an opportunity for the community to celebrate the honoree’s achievements.”
County officials have said that honorary road namings are symbolic and wouldn’t impact the county’s 911 system.
Board approves contract for Shannon Hill utilities
With no discussion, supervisors voted unanimously to award Aspen Construction a $27.58 million contract to deliver wet utility infrastructure to the Shannon Hill Regional Business Park, a 700-acre industrial site that the county’s developing just north of the Shannon Hill exit off Interstate 64.
According to a memo from Economic Development Director Andy Wade and Purchasing Officer Sam Massie, Aspen was the lowest bidder among the four companies that vied for the project. The Minnesota-based firm’s bid came in about $7.3 million below the second-lowest bidder, Charlottesville-based Faulconer Construction.
Under the contract, Aspen will build a seven-mile, 16-inch water main and seven-mile, 12-inch sewer force main along Route 250, linking the park to Ferncliff. The infrastructure is expected to cost $22.8 million with another $4.7 million tacked on for contingencies.
The county began developing the Shannon Hill site in 2019 with hopes of attracting distribution centers, advanced manufacturing or other large-scale economic development projects that bulk up the tax base and create jobs.
Supervisors allocated about $27.5 million for the infrastructure in the Fiscal Year 2024 capital budget. About 40 percent of that money came from a state grant aimed at readying the site for major industry. Supervisors floated some $17 million in bonds to cover the rest of the cost.
Board forms committee to consider future use of ‘potential increases in county revenue’
A windfall of tax revenue from data center development could still be years away, but supervisors are already contemplating how the county should use the money.
The board agreed to form a committee tasked with, as Board Chair Duane Adams put it, “strategically thinking about how any potential increases in county revenue would be utilized.” The committee will work alongside county staff and the board’s finance committee over the next year to set financial goals and priorities.
Adams appointed Louisa District Supervisor Manning Woodward and Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones to the body for the next six months. They’ll be replaced by two other board members after that.
Adams, who serves on the finance committee along with Jackson District Supervisor Toni Williams, said that rotating the committee’s membership would ensure a broad range of input.
Woodward suggested forming the committee at Monday’s meeting, noting that the county is expecting an influx of new revenue, and he wants to make sure it’s used wisely.
“It’s going to be an amazing thing to have, but it’s only going to be that way if we use the money in the best ways,” he said.
Woodward said that he envisions the committee as a vehicle for recommending guidelines and guardrails for future county leaders, reminding his colleagues that a previous board set aside tax revenue generated by Dominion’s North Anna Nuclear Power Station in what’s called the “NAPS Fund.” The fund, which currently has a $15.8 million balance, ensures resources are available should the plant be decommissioned.
“I think that board was very wise to set that up, and it’s still there today…I don’t think we can bind future boards’ hands. I don’t think that’s legal, and I don’t think we’d want to do it anyway. But we can give them some guidelines,” Woodward said.
During their discussion, board members didn’t explicitly mention the anticipated revenue from a pair of data center campuses under develop by Amazon Web Services (AWS), but they’ve hailed the facilities as smart economic development at previous meetings and contended that they’ll pour millions of dollars into county coffers to pay for schools, fire stations, cops and other services.
The board announced last year that AWS plans to invest at least $11 billion in the campuses by 2040. One of the facilities, dubbed the Lake Anna Technology Campus (LATC), is being developed on 153 acres at the corner of Kentucky Springs Road (Route 652) and Haley Drive (Route 700) adjacent to the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. The site will be home to seven data centers.
The other campus, called the North Creek Technology Campus (NCTC), is slated for about 830 acres south of Jefferson Highway (Route 33) and east of Mt. Airy Road (Route 644) near the Northeast Creek Reservoir. For the first phase of development, AWS plans to build 10 data centers on about 375 acres at the property’s northern edge.
While it’s unclear how much tax revenue the campuses will generate at full build out, Economic Development Director Andy Wade has said that a single data center could produce, on average, just over $2 million a year from real estate taxes and the county’s Business Personal Property Tax (BPP).
An incentive package the board inked with AWS to entice the company to set up shop here is expected to impact new revenue in several ways.
As part of the package, the board agreed to slash the BPP for data center equipment from $1.90 per $100 of assessed value to $1.25 and tax the equipment based on an accelerated depreciation schedule.
Data center operators will be taxed at 50 percent of their equipment’s original cost when its new, 35 percent in year two, 20 percent in year three, 10 percent in year four and five percent in year five and every year thereafter until the equipment is replaced.
That means that the amount of revenue the county gets from the campuses will be, in part, dependent on how often AWS replaces its equipment. Wade has said that the company typically replaces equipment every six to seven years, but that’s “subject to change” as technology changes.
If the company delayed replacing its equipment, it could significantly impact county coffers, a lesson that localities heavily dependent on data center revenue have already learned.
Loudoun County, the global epicenter of the data center industry, is home to 43 million square feet of the warehouse-like facilities, which contributed $735 million in local tax revenue in Fiscal Year 2023. But, according to media reports, in FY 2021, Loudoun faced a $60 million shortfall in its projected data center revenue because companies didn’t replace their servers after the pandemic. Loudoun has since set up a stabilization fund to protect itself against future shortfalls.
A budget line like the NAPS Fund is one way the county could handle fluctuations in data center revenue.
Beyond the reduced BPP, the county has also agreed to provide AWS with local grants to build off-site infrastructure to support the campuses. The funding, which is based on a tiered allocation structure, would be drawn from net new tax revenue derived from the campuses.
The local grants work in concert with a $140 million state grant fund approved by the General Assembly last year that’s aimed at bringing data centers to rural areas that don’t currently have the infrastructure to support them.
One project the grant money is expected to help pay for is the wet utility infrastructure necessary to deliver cooling water to the campuses. The infrastructure, which includes a water pump station at the Northeast Creek Reservoir, an 11-mile raw water line from the reservoir to the LATC, and water and sewer lines for the NCTC, could cost more than $87 million.
McCotter, other board members push for improvements to county gateways
As county officials prepare for a state-mandated five-year review of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, Cuckoo District Supervisor Chris McCotter said that he’d like to see increased focus on sprucing up the county’s gateways—essentially making entrance corridors more welcoming to visitors.
“[Gateways deal] with the major entrances to the county and growth areas. It has to do with traffic management. It has to do with signage, aesthetics, uniformed landscaping,” he said during a brief discussion at Monday’s meeting.
McCotter said that he and George Goodwin, the planning commissioner for the Cuckoo District, have had numerous conversations in recent months about the county’s gateways and they’d like for staff to consider how they could enhance those areas going forward.
Other board members agreed.
Louisa District Supervisor Manning Woodward said that, as a former member of the planning commission, he has also talked with Goodwin about improving major entrances to the county.
Woodward said that ensuring gateways are carefully planned with an eye toward aesthetics should be an immediate priority given the county’s continued growth.
He pointed to a portion of Zion Crossroads as an example of poor gateway development and said he feared that, without action, other areas could follow a similar course.
“If you go to Zion Crossroads and look at the south side of 64 and then come to the north side, it’s really a striking difference in the way it was developed. I have concerns about New Bridge Road and what’s happening to us right now there. If we don’t move on this, there are going to be other gateways that we are going to miss the opportunity to develop nicely,” Woodward said.
Green Springs District Supervisor Rachel Jones suggested that the county start by replacing old signs at major entry points, calling a sign that welcomes folks to the county on Route 15 in her district “faded and ragged.”
“This is part of a gateway to our community. We need to look at the signs…I know we can do better,” she said.
Both Board Chair Duane Adams and county staff said that beautifying gateways is already on their radar.
Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon noted that staff is working on a “comprehensive sign plan,” including designing new signs and identifying appropriate locations for the signage.
Adams and County Administrator Christian Goodwin reminded the board that, several years ago, the county adopted more stringent architectural standards for its Growth Area Overlay Districts, most of which overlap with gateways. Goodwin added that staff is happy to continue to work on the concept.
“Staff is happy to dig into it in further detail…With the growth around the county, this is a great opportunity to look at that and make sure that those entering our county are getting the look and feel that the board would see as appropriate for those areas,” he said.
County gets clean audit
A representative from Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates briefed the board on Louisa County’s Fiscal Year 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, a document that includes the results of an independent audit and provides a snapshot of county finances.
Auditor Michael Lupton told supervisors that the county received an “unmodified opinion” from his firm, meaning that the annual audit was clean and didn’t identify any significant issues.
At publication time, the annual report wasn’t publicly available.
Board okays purchase of electronic poll books
Supervisors voted unanimously to greenlight the Office of Elections’ purchase of new electronic poll books for the county’s 14 precincts.
In anticipation of purchasing the equipment in the near future, the board set aside $38,747 in the last several capital budgets. But, according to Finance Director Wanda Colvin, the office’s current poll books need to be replaced sooner than expected because the vendor no longer offers technical support for the equipment.
Supervisors agreed to appropriate another $37,952 for the poll books and a pair of on-demand ballot printers, bringing the total cost to $76,700. They’ll draw the additional money from the county’s general fund.
Planning Commission to consider utility-scale solar facility, hold three other public hearings
The Louisa County Planning Commission on Thursday night will convene for its last meeting of calendar year 2024 with a busy agenda on tap including four public hearings.
Prior to its regular meeting, commissioners will hold a two-hour work session where they’ll discuss proposed capital projects that the county could invest in, a “Focus Area” chapter that’s expected to be added to the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the commission’s bylaws and more.
Commission to consider CUP for shared solar facility near Gordonsville
Amid growing resistance to large-scale solar development in parts of Louisa County, commissioners will hold a public hearing and consider whether to recommend that the board of supervisors approve what could be the county’s eighth utility-scale solar site.
Louisa Solar 1, LLC is asking the county for a conditional use permit (CUP) to develop an up to three megawatt (MW) shared solar array on 55.7 acres of a 118.8-acre tract off Kloeckner Road (Route 860) just outside the Gordonsville Growth Area Overlay District and about 500 feet from the Louisa-Albemarle County line (tax map parcel 1-3). The parcel is owned by Benjamin Ochs.
The property is zoned for agricultural use but adjoins several industrial properties including Klockner Pentoplast’s manufacturing facility and a pair of natural gas-fired power plants. It sits near a substation, high-voltage transmission line and railroad tracks.
In its land use application, Louisa Solar 1, a subsidiary of New Energy Equity, argues that the site is well-suited for industrial solar because it’s surrounded by “like” uses. It also notes that the facility would be tucked into an “existing wooded area” and “hidden from view to conserve and preserve the county’s rural character.”
The developer contends that the solar facility would be beneficial to the community in several ways, including producing clean energy and potentially saving residents money on their electric bills by way of its enrollment in Dominion Energy’s shared solar program.
Established by the General Assembly in 2020, the program provides residents who may not be able to put solar panels on their homes an opportunity to acquire subscriptions for solar power via a third-party provider. The power generated at the Kloeckner Road facility would feed Dominion’s distribution system and Dominion customers could purchase “a share” of what’s produced that’s credited to their bill.
The shared solar project would directly benefit customers in Louisa and surrounding counties who enroll in the program, including those classified as low-income. The state’s shared solar rules require that 30 percent of the program’s customers are low income and that those subscribers save at least 10 percent on their monthly power bills.
“The estimated annual consumer savings is $30,000 per megawatt AC capacity of the [shared solar] facility. The applicant’s preference would be for local residents and businesses to participate in the applicant’s Shared Solar Program and be the direct beneficiaries of reduced electricity rates,” Louisa Solar 1 says in its application.
Beyond that potential benefit, the facility would generate revenue for county coffers that significantly exceeds what’s derived from the property under its current use as a Loblolly Pine plantation.
According to an analysis by Mangum Economics conducted on the applicant’s behalf, the project would generate between $75,100 and $239,900 in local tax revenue over its 35-year lifespan, depending on how the county opts to tax the facility. Under its present use, the property would generate about $5,630 in local taxes over the same time frame.
The project would also benefit a Louisa County sheep farmer, the developer says, who would graze his animals among the solar panels to manage vegetation then “sell the sheep for a revenue of $13,700.”
The project would be accessed off Kloeckner Road both during and after construction. The applicant notes that the three-to-six-month construction process would generate the bulk of traffic with little impact on nearby roads after that.
More than 7,500 photovoltaic solar panels, accompanied by a string of inverters, would cover about 17 acres of the project site. They would be surrounded by an animal-friendly fence and at least a 300-foot buffer inclusive of both existing and new evergreen trees and pollinator-friendly plants.
Louisa County Community Development staff says in its report that the project would have minimal impact on county services and isn’t likely to negatively impact the character of the neighborhood.
Staff recommends that the project’s CUP include 31 conditions, which are standard for utility-scale solar facilities in Louisa County.
To guard against problems with erosion and sediment control, which have plagued at least one major solar site in the county, the conditions mandate that the project is developed in phases to ensure soil stabilization and limit runoff. They also direct the applicant to pay a third-party engineer to monitor the site’s erosion and sediment control measures during clearing and construction.
To ensure that the property is cleaned up after its 35-year lifespan—another concern about large-scale solar development in rural areas—the conditions also require the developer to provide a decommissioning bond and decommissioning plan and prohibit solar panels from being deposited in the Louisa County Landfill.
Thursday night’s public hearing marks the second time Louisa Solar 1 has pitched county officials on a large-scale solar project. The first came in the summer of 2023 when the firm sought approval of a five MW shared solar facility on the same property.
While the planning commission recommended approval of the project, the board of supervisors voted 5-0 to reject it, citing concerns that it didn’t meet a provision in the county’s solar ordinance requiring a 300-foot buffer around the site. The applicant had sought a waiver from the requirement on parts of the property, arguing that its buffer plan met the intent of the ordinance because the solar array would be adequately screened from view.
Louisa Solar 1’s revised application shrinks the size of the array from five MW to three and includes a 300-foot to 347-foot buffer around the entire project.
While Louisa Solar 1 has complied with the buffer rule, the board of supervisors have introduced new requirements that could trip up the application.
At its November 18 meeting, the board voted unanimously to adopt a policy establishing stringent guidelines for utility-scale solar project siting agreements. Siting agreements are essentially deals between localities and solar developers to mitigate a project’s impact and provide other compensation. Louisa County’s solar ordinance requires the agreements, which are subject to board approval.
Most notably, the new policy requires a solar project’s owner to make an annual payment to Louisa County at least equal to 0.1 percent of the county’s operating budget for every megawatt of power produced by their project.
Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon said that, under the current operating budget, that figure would be roughly $156,000. That means the owner of a three-megawatt project would be required to pay the county nearly $470,000 annually.
While Louisa Solar 1’s revised application doesn’t discuss a siting agreement, an agreement brokered between the county and the developer last year, which would’ve taken effect had the board approved the CUP, included less than $600,000 in compensation, most of which would’ve been paid incrementally over the project’s four-decade lifespan.
County officials have said that the new siting agreement policy took effect immediately after the board’s November 18 vote and applies to all utility-scale solar projects not yet permitted in the county. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the policy at Thursday’s meeting, the first step toward codifying it as part of the county’s solar ordinance. (See article below).
At publication time, Coon hadn’t responded to an email requesting confirmation that the policy applies to Louisa Solar 1’s application. The application was submitted several months before the policy’s adoption.
PC to consider codifying policy for utility-scale solar project siting agreements
The board of supervisors, at its November 18 meeting, adopted a policy that establishes stringent guidelines for utility-scale solar project siting agreements, including hefty annual payments based on a project’s power production, compensation for adjacent landowners and a tight timeline for when a facility must start generating power. (policy)
Siting agreements are essentially deals between localities and solar developers aimed at mitigating a project’s impact and providing other compensation. Per state code, they can include cash payments for certain capital needs and broadband deployment, among other items.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the policy Thursday night, the first step in codifying its provisions.
The board’s solar committee, comprised of Mineral District Supervisor Duane Adams and Patrick Henry District Supervisor Fitzgerald Barnes, recommended the policy. In a memo to the board, the committee said its provisions would “help renewable energy development projects protect local values and resources.”
Adams said that passing the standards as a policy allows them to take effect immediately, but the committee wants to see them codified in the county’s solar ordinance. The board subsequently sent them to the planning commission to begin the formal public approval process.
The policy applies to any utility-scale solar project not yet permitted by the board of supervisors, Deputy County Administrator Chris Coon said during a brief presentation at the meeting. Per county code, utility-scale solar encompasses solar generation facilities that produce at least two megawatts (MW) of power.
Under the policy, siting agreements for utility-scale solar projects are required to meet several minimum standards. Most notably, developers must remit an annual payment to Louisa County at least equal to 0.1 percent of the county’s operating budget per megawatt (MW) of power produced.
Coon said that, under the current operating budget, that figure would be roughly $156,000, meaning a 20 MW project would be required to pay the county about $3.12 million annually.
The policy further stipulates that 25 percent of funding generated by a siting agreement “should be allocated to affordable housing initiatives within the county.”
The policy also recommends that the owners of large-scale solar projects provide at least $500 in annual compensation to adjacent property owners in the form of either electric bill abatement or property tax abatement.
“This provision acknowledges the potential impact on neighboring properties and offers tangible benefits to nearby residents,” the committee’s memo said.
In addition, the policy requires utility-scale solar projects to start generating electricity no more than three years after approval. Failure to meet the timeline would require renegotiation of the existing siting agreement, reapplication for a conditional use permit and updating the project’s decommissioning bond to comply with current standards.
Currently, there are two projects actively moving through the county’s approval process that would apparently be impacted by the policy: Louisa Solar 1, LLC’s proposed three MW shared solar array off Kloeckner Road and BW Solar Holding, Inc.’s proposed five MW facility off Peach Grove Road.
The planning commission will hold a public hearing on Louisa Solar 1’s request at Thursday’s meeting (see article above). The board of supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on BW Solar’s application at its January 21 meeting.
PC to consider request to rezone commercial property for agricultural use
Commissioners will hold a public hearing and consider whether to recommend to the board of supervisors approval of Robert and Stacy Fuller’s request to rezone, from General Commercial (C-2 GAOD) to General Agricultural (A-2 GAOD), 3.7 acres at 991 Courthouse Road (Route 208) in the Patrick Henry Election District (tax map parcel 67-3-2).
The Fullers plan to establish an agricultural operation behind their home including a large garden, a row of fruit trees, a chicken coop with a maximum of 20 birds and agricultural structures.
The property is located less than a half mile from the Ferncliff exit off Interstate 64 in the Ferncliff Growth Area Overlay District (GAOD). It’s designated for mixed-used development on the Future Land Use Map in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Louisa County Community Development Department staff says in its report that the proposed use fits with the character of the neighborhood and wouldn’t significantly impact county services. Staff also determined that the rezoning conforms with the Comprehensive Plan.
“The adjoining parcels in this area are zoned agricultural and commercial and remain largely undeveloped and vacant. Staff believes the Ferncliff Growth Area will experience future industrial and residential growth as utilities become available. Therefore, rezoning the subject property from General Commercial (C-2) to Agricultural (A-2) [will] have little effect on the character of the surrounding area and will follow the 2040 Plan Mixed Use designation,” staff writes.
Commission to hold public hearing on proposed tweaks to Land Development Regulations
Commissioners will hold a public hearing and consider whether to recommend to the board of supervisors approval of a half dozen amendments to the county’s Land Development Regulations. (proposed amendments)
Community Development Department staff says the changes are necessary “to address discrepancies, clarify regulations, ensure alignment with more stringent State and Federal regulations, update standards to reflect current practices, and make adjustments based on community needs and the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.” In addition, the proposed amendments are intended “to improve the efficiency of the Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances and to better serve the community by removing conflicts and outdated provisions.”
Most notably, the amendments would prohibit new residential uses in commercial zoning; exempt specific improvements, including retaining walls for commercial projects and walkway structures that cross property lines onto Dominion Shoreland adjoining Lake Anna, from the required setbacks in all zoning districts; and codify the unwritten method for calculating the distance between over-water structures when determining the required width of a travel way.
News roundup: Mom says Virginia failed to warn families about potential Lake Anna dangers
Engage Louisa focuses on Louisa County government. We recognize that we can’t cover everything and there’s plenty of other news in our neck of the woods. With that in mind, we occasionally include a roundup of links to the work of other journalists and organizations covering noteworthy events and issues that impact our community.
Mom says Virginia failed to warn families about potential Lake Anna dangers. Her daughter got sick. -WTVR
Owner of Higher Education vape stores is facing 160 years in prison for illegally selling weed -Axios
Duplex decision advances to Louisa Town Council -The Central Virginian (metered paywall)
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