The sun is shining on a proposed solar farm in Stafford, but it’s unclear how long that will last.
The county’s Planning Commission on Wednesday night voted 4-3 to recommend the Board of Supervisors approve a conditional-use permit for a solar facility at the southeast corner of Enon and Truslow roads.
The proposed Enon Road Community Solar Preserve would generate up to 3 megawatts of electricity and participate in the Virginia Shared Solar Program, which enables residents to save money on their electric bills without having to install solar panels on their property.
It would produce power for about 600 low- to moderate-income homes as well as some businesses, developer ESA said on its project website. ESA, based in Central Florida, is a solar development, engineering and construction company.
To subscribe to the Enon Road operation, residents would need to be Dominion Energy customers in the low-to-moderate income bracket.
The project calls for solar panels covering 12.8 acres on the eastern half of the 37-acre site in Stafford’s Hartwood District. The western half, closer to Enon and Truslow, is proposed as a conservation area to remain undeveloped.
Solar farms of this size do not connect to large transmission lines, the project website said, and no transmission-line construction would take place. ESA also pledges that noise from the business would be minimal.
If approved, the Enon Road Community Solar Preserve would join a host of other solar facilities in the region. Another project is underway not far from the Enon site, solar panels have been installed atop North Stafford High School and even former landfill sites could be outfitted with panels.
However, despite the Enon proposal having what might sound like some good points, the supervisors in 2023 denied a CUP request for a previous incarnation that would have had solar panels across the entire site.
On Wednesday, Commissioner Kristen Barnes of the Rock Hill District said she had concerns, too, including the possible elimination of part of a planned vegetative buffer around the site’s perimeter.
She said she hopes the Board of Supervisors maintains the 50-foot buffer if the project is approved.
“That’s really important to me,” said Barnes, who voted against recommending approval along with Commissioners Kelsey Caudill and Laura Sellers.
Three of five speakers at a public hearing Wednesday also argued against the solar farm, but Ed Davin, who lives in the Falmouth District, said he and his wife, Mary, support the proposal.
“We recognize that county governments don’t regulate power companies and can’t make a major contribution to our nation’s demand for electricity,” said Ed Davin, who noted he lives near the Enon site. “However, at a time when the local, state, national and worldwide demand for electricity is increasing sharply, this county can establish an important precedent by approving this tiny solar facility as a very small step in a positive direction.”
After the vote and outside the meeting, Justin Vandenbroeck, ESA’s co-founder and chief operating officer, said he appreciates “our nearby residents for working closely with us to come up with a more improved site plan that addresses the original concerns while meeting the very important energy demand needs” of the state.
In other business Wednesday, Commission Chairman Steven Apicella called for the creation of a subcommittee to work on possible zoning regulations for tobacco and vape shops.
The supervisors began discussing the issue in 2023 due to concern about the locations of the businesses and about the notion that minors might access them. So they asked the commission to address the matter.
Stafford Zoning Administrator Juan Bernal said county staff recommends that tobacco and vape shops be allowed only on certain land zoned for commercial use, and that they not be located within a thousand feet of a childcare center or a public, private or parochial school.
Staff also proposed that the businesses not be located within a thousand feet of each other.
The regulations would not affect shops already operating or any store that sells tobacco and vape products in addition to their primary goods. According to county staff, there are approximately 25 tobacco and vape shops in Stafford, though Barnes said she thought there were many more.
“Seems like we have, like, 200, but OK,” she said.
On data centers and campgrounds
Apicella also asked planning staff for more information before the commission makes its recommendation on new regulations for data centers.
The commission and supervisors are scheduled to hold a joint public hearing March 18 on possibly requiring the technology businesses to obtain a CUP for projects that would be in parts of the county zoned for heavy industrial use. Currently, data centers can be built on such parcels without receiving permit approval from the supervisors.
The chairman asked planning staff to make a list of sites that could be affected by an industrial regulation change and to prepare the pros and cons of making data center developers obtain a CUP versus requiring a rezoning of land for projects.
In addition, Apicella asked for the creation of a subcommittee to look into requiring a CUP for campgrounds. Supervisors last week asked for the commission to weigh in on the issue.
If ultimately approved by the board, the measure likely would grandfather an existing campground in the county and a planned project on a 75-acre parcel off Belle Plains Road.
That campground, which would be called Crow’s Nest Outdoor Adventure, has faced heavy opposition from nearby residents.
