Sinai Road Solar Farm, a proposed 3-megawatt community-scale solar project on the property of H&M Logging, received the green light from both the Halifax County Planning Commission and the Halifax County Board of Supervisors at a Tuesday evening joint board meeting.
Sinai Road Solar Farm will encompass 11 acres of land on a 19-acre parcel of property owned by Mary Hodges at 1180 Sinai Road, just outside of the South Boston town limits. The property is surrounded by a land conservation easement owned by Kenneth Hodges, owner of H&M Logging.
“Mr. Hodges owns every piece of land that surrounds the project,” said Halifax County’s planning and zoning administrator Detrick Easley.
ESA Solar, a Maitland, Florida-based solar company, is the project applicant.
The planning commission took the first vote on the conditional use permit application for Sinai Road Solar Farm, electing to recommend approval to the board of supervisors. Election District 4 Commissioner Jay Jennings made a motion to approve the permit application for the solar farm, with 41 site conditions and the additional requirement of placing green slats on the fencing around the solar panels to further conceal them from sight.
ED-2 Commissioner Dwayne Griles seconded the motion, and the motion carried in a 6-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Jimmy Watts and ED-3 Commissioner Bruce Pearce absent from the meeting. Sinai Road Solar Farm will be in Pearce’s district, and Easley noted that Pearce had expressed his support of the project.
The board of supervisors then voted 7-0 in favor of Sinai Road Solar Farm, with ED-1 Supervisor Pete Riddle absent from the meeting. ED-3 Supervisor Hubert Pannell made the motion to approve the application.
Prior to the boards’ votes on Sinai Road Solar Farm, a public hearing on the project application was held. One person — Anthony Womack, a resident of the Sinai community — spoke in favor of Sinai Road Solar Farm.
“I think it’s an ideal location,” Womack said. “I do speak in favor of it, and the benefits that it may bring.”
No one spoke in opposition.
Cara Romaine, project manager for ESA Solar, estimated construction of Sinai Road Solar Farm would take “three to six months,” and said she did not foresee any “significant impact with noise” to the community from construction of the solar farm.
Romaine also said the solar panels would be “well concealed” from Sinai Road, in part because of the natural sloping of the land.
“The topography of this site really plays to our advantage,” Romaine said. “The highest part of the property is nearest to the road and the property slopes down gradually. You really can’t even see the road from there (the proposed site of the solar panels) because of the way the topography slopes down.”
Easley also noted, “We do have existing vegetation along Sinai Road. “Also, Mr. Hodges’ business protects the visibility from Sinai Road to the solar panels.”
Easley told the planning commission and board of supervisors that the project applicant had requested a 140-foot reduction in setbacks from adjoining property lines from 150 feet as set forth in the county ordinance to 10 feet.
“The primary driver of that setback reduction is to make sure that we’re co-locating efficiently with Kenny Hodges’ logging operations,” Romaine explained.
Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Stanley Brandon raised concerns about reducing the setbacks from the adjoining property lines, as well as a lack of vegetative buffers at the front of the property.
“I understand the topography of the land and how it slopes down. But I know we always require buffering,” Brandon said. “I just want to make sure aesthetically — the looks of this project — it’s going to be well concealed.”
Romaine explained that the reason for the lack of vegetative buffers on the front side of the property is because of the potential impediment to the operations of H&M Logging with trucks frequently entering and exiting the property at that entrance.
Election District 7 Supervisor Keith McDowell also remarked, “I have ridden down there, and it’s pretty well going to be blocked. You won’t see it. If there’s ever a perfect place for solar, I’m going to say this is one of them.”
ED-5 Supervisor Robbie Smart stated that he shares Brandon’s concerns about reducing the setbacks from adjoining property lines and the lack of vegetative buffers at the front of the property. He said he is concerned if the board approves reducing the setbacks for Sinai Road Solar Farm, they will have to do the same for other solar applicants.
Board of Supervisors Chair William Bryant Claiborne responded with the assurance, “I don’t think we’re going to have too much problem with this. This is sort of an exception.”
ED-4 Supervisor Dennis Witt also commented, “We don’t want to go down that road of changing our standards, but this is a unique situation.”
Both the board of supervisors and the planning commission’s approval of Sinai Road Solar Farm included approval of the Hodges’ request to reduce the setbacks from adjoining property lines.
Easley pointed out that Sinai Road Solar Farm meets the requirements for solar farms set forth in the county ordinance, falling withing density requirements and having required setbacks of 150 feet off the highway
The county’s planning and zoning administrator also noted that the Department of Forestry had submitted a letter stating that the solar farm would result in “no negative impact” to the surrounding land conservation easement.
Easley also informed the boards that tax payments to the county are incorporated in the site conditions for the conditional use permit for the solar farm. He added that Sinai Road Solar Farm would provide $165,000 in cash payments to the county in addition to revenue share of $1,400 per megawatt and real estate taxes.
Miranda Baines is a staff writer for The Gazette-Virginian. Contact her at mbaines@yourgv.com.
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