This week in county government; Proposed 5 MW solar facility on Peach Grove Road sparks resistance from neighbors; Early voting steady in Louisa County
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, Oct. 30 through Nov. 4
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, November 1
Commission on Aging, Betty Queen Center, 522 Industrial Drive, Louisa, 10 am.
Neighborhood Meeting, hosted by BW Solar and the Louisa County Community Development Department, Public Meeting Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 4 pm.
BW Solar, in cooperation with county staff, will host a second neighborhood meeting to discuss the company’s request for a Conditional Use Permit to build a 5 MW utility-scale solar facility on Peach Grove Road in the Mineral Voting District. (See story below).
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.
Proposed 5 MW solar project on Peach Grove Road sparks resistance from neighbors
A proposal to build a utility-scale solar facility on Peach Grove Road near the upper end of Lake Anna has sparked staunch opposition from neighbors.
BW Solar Inc. (BWS) applied for a Conditional Use Permit to build an up to 5 MW solar array on 60 acres of a 132-acre agriculturally zoned parcel between Peach Grove and Goldmine Roads in northwestern Louisa County (tax map parcel 14 71). The parcel is owned by local farmer Dustin Madison and his wife, Megan, who live on the property.
At a neighborhood meeting Wednesday afternoon, representatives from BW Solar said that the solar array would be “a great neighbor,” causing no disruption in the neighborhood post-construction while generating clean energy for Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s local distribution system over its 35-year lifespan. They emphasized that solar panels would cover only about a third of the 60-acre project site and would be blocked from view by generous buffers, mostly comprised of existing vegetation. After a four-to-six-month construction period, the developers said, the project would generate almost no traffic and noise.
“It’s a quiet, peaceful little neighbor that won’t bother anybody,” Greg Kelly, a solar consultant, told the crowd. “(It’s) better than having 20, 30 or 40 homes built in there and having all that traffic and all that construction for a longtime.”
But many of the roughly two dozen community members who turned out for the meeting didn’t share the company’s enthusiasm for the project. They complained that it would detract from their neighborhood’s rural character, bring truck traffic during construction that Peach Grove Road can’t handle and impact their property values, among other ills.
While the meeting was designed to give the applicant and county staff an opportunity to answer questions and solicit feedback on how the project could be improved, some attendees made clear that they weren’t particularly interested in having a conversation. They simply don’t want a solar array in their neighborhood.
“We don’t want it. We’re happy. We’re country folks and we’re happy being country,” one neighbor said to applause from several others in the crowd.
Last Wednesday’s meeting was only the first step in the public process to determine whether Louisa County greenlights the project. The applicant and the county’s Community Development Department will host a second neighborhood meeting this Wednesday, November 1, from 4 to 6 pm in the Public Meeting Room at the Louisa County Office Building. The Planning Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on the application at its Thursday, November 9 meeting and the Board of Supervisors could consider the project as soon as December. Supervisors have the final say on whether the Conditional Use Permit is approved.
The proposal
BW Solar plans to build a 5 MW solar array—dubbed the Green Boot Solar Project—at the rear of the Madisons’ property along Peach Grove Road with solar modules covering about 20 acres. At Wednesday’s meeting, BWS Senior Developer Bridgette Kelly insisted that the project fits well with the rural character of the neighborhood. Following construction, she said, the array would quietly generate clean energy behind the same tree-lined buffer already on the property and attract little notice.
“We want to preserve (the area) as much as you guys. We just want to build a small project for Dustin and his family that’s neatly tucked away,” Bridgette Kelly said, adding that solar generation is a good use for the Madisons’ property because it’s not considered prime farmland.
Kelly sought to differentiate the project from Dominion’s sprawling 88 MW Belcher Solar Facility off Waldrop Church Road where stormwater runoff from the site has caused severe erosion and other damage on neighboring farms. At Belcher, hundreds of acres of timberland was rapidly cleared for construction. Kelly said that wouldn’t happen at Green Boot.
“Our project footprint is significantly smaller (than Belcher) and land will be disturbed as little as possible,” she said.
The fallout from Belcher has soured some residents on large-scale solar facilities and led Louisa County to toughen its rules for solar development. Last year, the Board of Supervisors adopted a revised solar ordinance that requires a 300-foot setback around the periphery of utility-scale solar sites, imposes stringent erosion and sediment control measures and implements other restrictions.
Kelly said that the Green Boot project would meet all of the county’s toughened standards. With respect to buffers, the project would feature a 300-foot setback from neighboring properties and include a 150-foot opaque vegetative buffer to screen it from view. The buffer would consist primarily of existing trees and pollinator plantings with supplemental plantings added on the property’s western and southeastern border.
Within the project site, the solar panels would be setback 75 feet from wetlands and 50 feet from ditches. Kelly said that of the 60 acres under lease, roughly 40 acres would be buffers. BWS representatives also said that, as currently proposed, the panels would be enclosed by a 7-foot tall “animal friendly fence,” which provides space along the ground for rabbits, squirrels and other small animals to travel through the site.
With respect to land disturbance, Kelly said the developers recognize that the site is close to Lake Anna and they would take special care not to harm the lake. She said that BWS would first install its construction entrance and erosion and sediment control features then clear and prepare the site. Any clearing and grading would be done in stages, she said, to minimize its impact.
The site would be accessed off Peach Grove Road, a roughly two-and-a-half-mile secondary road that dead ends at the lakefront Thalia Shores subdivision. The entrance would be situated near a bend in Peach Grove Road, which would “eliminate direct views through the landscape buffer and eliminate the view from Peach Grove Road,” according to BWS.
The project would benefit the community in several ways, the developers said. It’s expected to provide nearly $500,000 in revenue for county coffers over the next four decades via real estate taxes and a revenue sharing plan. Under its current use, the property would generate just over $6,300 in tax revenue in the same timeframe, per a fiscal impact analysis conducted on the applicant’s behalf.
In addition, the project would produce clean energy that’s used locally because it feeds an REC distribution line not the larger transmission system, according to the developers. It would also help the utility and the state meet the clean energy goals outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act. Passed by the General Assembly in 2020 to combat climate change, the VCEA aims to decarbonize the state’s power grid by mid-century.
If okayed by the board, the Green Boot project would be the eighth and smallest utility-scale solar array approved in the county and the first since supervisors adopted the revised solar ordinance. Since 2015, the board has approved seven utility-scale solar sites covering some 5,200 acres. Only two are fully constructed: Dominion’s Belcher facility and 20 MW Whitehouse project off Davis Highway.
Community concerns
BW Solar’s application comes amid growing resistance to large-scale solar development in Louisa County and across rural Virginia. Once greeted by local officials as a way to raise tax revenue while only minimally impacting county services, utility-scale solar has morphed into a hot-button political issue that’s riled up residents in rural areas where most large-scale solar projects are being constructed.
In Louisa County and beyond, residents have complained that solar panels are gobbling up rural land, marring viewsheds, impacting water quality due to runoff and placing millions of solar modules in far-flung communities that someone will eventually have to clean up.
Community members raised those and other concerns at Wednesday’s meeting.
Some neighbors said that their chief concern is using Peach Grove Road to access the site. They said that the road is in poor condition and too narrow to handle the large trucks delivering supplies during construction. Several residents suggested that the developers instead use Goldmine Road. One attendee said he had concerns with both the use of Peach Grove Road and the entrance BWS chose, arguing that it was at the most dangerous spot on the road.
“Who decided to put the entrance to the solar farm on the curve? The worst possible curve on Peach Grove. People can’t even go around it without running into each other…It’s an accident waiting to happen,” he said.
The resident added that he’s not against solar—he’d prefer it to another housing development—but insisted that the proposed entrance is “unsafe.”
BWS representatives said the entrance was selected after discussion with county officials who want to mitigate the project’s visual impact and it meets the Virginia Department of Transportation’s sight distance requirements. They expressed skepticism that the site could be reached off Goldmine Road because of ditches that impede access but agreed to explore other options.
The developers also emphasized that the project wouldn’t generate significant traffic during construction and what it does bring would only be temporary. According to BWS’s land use application, during the five-or-six-month construction period, the project is expected to generate 15 car trips a day from workers traveling to and from the site and one daily visit by a large truck. BWS representatives said they’d work closely with VDOT on a traffic management plan to ensure safe road conditions.
But construction traffic was only one of the crowd’s concerns. Some community members asked how the project would impact their property values. One resident said he’d read that his property value would decline 1.5 percent due to its proximity to a solar site. Several others worried that their real estate tax assessments would rise.
“(Someone) built a new house right beside my house and they raised my property value $50,000…so what do you think solar panels are going to do for property values? They are going to put it clean through the roof,” one community member said.
County Planner Tom Egeland responded that, according to the county assessor, the two utility-scale solar projects already constructed in Louisa had no impact on property values.
Several community members asked what would happen at the site after the project was decommissioned. Who would clean it up? How would it be paid for and where would the solar panels go?
The company that owns the solar array is responsible for removing the panels and restoring the land, the developers said. They noted that BWS’s application includes a decommissioning plan, and the company is required to post a decommissioning bond to ensure money is available for cleanup. Egeland said that, according to Louisa County code, the bond is reviewed by the county attorney’s office every five years and adjusted for inflation. He also noted that the project’s owner is prohibited from disposing of solar panels in Louisa County’s landfill.
Beyond those issues, neighbors said they’re worried about the project’s potential impact on their health and groundwater, suggesting that solar modules contain substances that could be detrimental to humans.
BWS representatives responded that they’re unaware of health concerns related to solar panels, noting that the equipment on the site would be composed mainly of glass, aluminum and silicone and that those materials are commonly used in a range of devices.
Some community members complained that solar generation doesn’t mesh with the rural character of their community, and they don’t want the panels near their home. Several residents wondered how the solar facility would benefit them, shrugging off the argument that their neighbor had a right to use his property as he sees fit. They also dismissed assertions that the project would produce increased tax revenue for the county and generate clean energy that cuts down on carbon emissions.
One resident said the county already does enough to provide carbon-free power, pointing to Dominion’s North Anna Nuclear Power Station, which sits on Lake Anna about 14 miles from Peach Grove Road.
“We got a nuke here. We don’t need any more power. We’re good,” the community member said.
BWS representatives responded that the company wants to hear feedback from the community to improve the project and residents simply saying they don’t want it does little to help achieve that goal.
“We’re listening and trying to figure out what (the concerns are). You don’t want it because you don’t want it. That’s hard for us to find a solution for,” Greg Kelly said.
Early voting steady in Louisa County
Louisa County voters are taking advantage of early voting at slightly higher rates than their counterparts across Central Virginia and statewide.
As of Saturday, October 28, 2,795 Louisa residents have voted in the November 7 General Election with 1,920 people voting in person at the Louisa County Office of Elections and 875 voting by mail-in ballot, according to data from the Virginia Department of Elections published by the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP). Another 571 voters requested mail-in ballots but have not yet returned them. The 45-day early voting period kicked off September 22 and runs through November 4.
Just over 9.3 percent of the county’s roughly 30,000 registered voters already cast their ballot compared to 8.9 percent of voters in the Piedmont region and about 8.4 percent statewide, according to VPAP.
The 10th and 11th state Senate districts and the 59th and 55th House of Delegates districts, which include parts of Louisa County, rank among the districts with the highest early vote turnout. The 55th District ranks 11th and the 59th ranks 13th in turnout among the 100 House of Delegates contests. In the 55th, 7,297 residents have voted in person or by mail while 7,078 people have voted in the 59th. The 10th and 11th Senate districts rank 8th and 12th respectively out of 40 Senate races. In the 10th, 16,879 voters have cast ballots while 14,097 have voted in the 11th.
The Office of Elections and county staff have worked together to spread the word about early voting and to notify voters of the office’s new location at 103 McDonald Street in the Town of Louisa. The county has promoted early voting on its social media feeds, website and via an insert sent to residents with their real estate and personal property tax bills. The Office of Elections has advertised early voting in the newspaper and on a video monitor in the County Office Building and placed signs in high-traffic locations.
Louisa County Registrar Cris Watkins said in an email on Friday that early voting is going smoothly at the new location. Though turnout has been steady so far, it’s lagging behind last year’s midterm election. Watkins said that, as of Friday morning, 1,682 people have cast ballots in person as compared to 2,310 at this point last year.
During the 2022 election cycle, about 18 percent of the county’s registered voters, 5,281 people, cast a ballot via in-person early voting or by mail, according to VPAP. Of those, 4,061 ballots were cast in person while 1,220 were cast by mail.
“(I’m) not sure we will hit that (this year),” Watkins said.
Voters still have a chance to cast a ballot before Election Day. The Office of Elections is open for early voting Monday, October 30 through Friday, November 3, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday, November 4 from 9 am to 5 pm. On Wednesday, November 1, the office will remain open until 7 pm.
Voters who requested a mail-in ballot can return the ballot by mail or drop it off at the Office of Elections by 7 pm on Election Day. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Monday, November 13 at noon. Election Day is Tuesday, November 7 and polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm.
This year’s elections don’t feature any high-profile federal contests but do include key state and local races. Voters will choose Louisa County’s representatives in the General Assembly where all 140 seats—100 in the House of Delegates and 40 in the state Senate—are up for grabs in new districts redrawn during the 2021 redistricting process. A bevy of local offices are also on the ballot including three seats on the Louisa County Board of Supervisors and School Board (Cuckoo, Jackson and Louisa districts).
To learn more about this year’s elections, check out Engage Louisa’s Election Preview here.
Help Louisa vote: Become a poll worker
The Louisa County Office of Elections needs you.
To administer local elections, including running Louisa County’s 14 polling locations on Election Day, Louisa County relies on the help of community members to check in voters, hand out ballots, answer questions and more. These trained election officers play an important role in the democratic process and provide a critical service to our community.
The Office of Elections is looking for people interested in helping out in future elections. To learn more, call the Office of Elections at 540-967-3427. Check out the Virginia Department of Elections website for general information.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County Board of Supervisors.
Find agendas and minutes from previous Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission meetings as well as archived recordings here.
Click here for contact information for the Louisa County School Board.
Click here for minutes and agendas for School Board meetings.
Click here to access past editions of Engage Louisa.
Thank you for your thorough coverage of the debate over a proposed community solar project. These sorts of case studies are important for folks like me in the clean energy field to read about - honestly, our future depends on winning such battles all over the place.
The opposition was pretty well summed up at the end: “We’re listening and trying to figure out what (the concerns are). You don’t want it because you don’t want it. That’s hard for us to find a solution for.”