The Suffolk Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for a proposed solar facility along Whaleyville Boulevard. Citing extensive buffering, compliance with new setback rules, the proposal was described as a well-sited project in a rural agricultural area.
The request, CUP2025-00016, submitted by Chaberton Energy Holdings Inc. on behalf of property owners Adam and Erin Rountree to establish a solar energy facility on an approximately 81.7-acre parcel zoned agricultural in the Whaleyville Voting Borough. The city’s 2045 Comprehensive Plan designates the area as outside the growth areas and assigns a rural agricultural land-use classification.
Land Use Planning Manager Caitlin Aubut presented the staff report, describing the site as undeveloped and partially wooded, with some farmland and limited nearby residential development. She told commissioners the proposal would lease roughly 76 acres, with only about 40 acres fenced, and the solar panels occupying about 30 acres.
“The actual array itself is approximately 30 acres,” Aubut said, noting that the remaining area within the fence would be used for stormwater management and open grassy areas.
Aubut emphasized that the project is the first solar application to come before the commission under the city’s recently amended solar regulations, which increased required setbacks. She said the ordinance requires a 400-foot setback for specific equipment, such as inverters and transformers, and that the Wellington Solar proposal exceeds that standard by a wide margin.
“In this case, the applicant is well over 700 feet from the nearest property line,” Aubut said, adding that some components are more than 780 feet away.
She also highlighted screening measures, telling commissioners the project relies heavily on existing mature woodland. “They are preserving a significant amount of existing vegetation around the perimeter of the site,” Aubut said, explaining that an agricultural-style fence would be used to maintain a rural appearance rather than a more industrial look.
Speaking on behalf of the applicant, project representative Avery Clemens said the location and design were chosen specifically to reduce impacts on neighbors and the surrounding landscape. He told commissioners that the solar facility would not be visible or audible from nearby properties once construction is complete.
According to the application packet, the noise-producing equipment is located centrally on the site, more than 780 feet from the nearest property line, and a sound study conducted by Acentech on Sept. 2, 2025, shows that operational noise will be about 15 decibels below the city’s residential standard.
Clemens compared the projected sound level to everyday background noise. “It’s comparable to a whisper or rustling leaves,” she said, adding that the project would operate quietly once online.
Aubut also said the facility is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 850 Virginia homes annually and described the project as a community-scale solar installation rather than a large utility-scale facility.
During the public hearing, no one spoke in opposition. Commissioners later referenced written materials included in the meeting packet, including a letter of support from a neighboring farmer, which some said helped distinguish the project from other solar proposals that have drawn controversy in Suffolk.
Commissioner MaryEllen Baur said she had previously voted against other solar applications but viewed the Wellington Solar proposal differently. “This is a uniquely positioned,” Baur said, citing the buffering, setbacks and surrounding land uses. “It’s almost like it was meant to be there.”
Commissioner Selena Thornton-Manuel confirmed with staff this project is the first reviewed under the city’s new setback rules.
The motion passed 7-0. Staylor said the recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for a public hearing and final decision on Jan. 21, 2026.

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