RUSTBURG — The Campbell County Planning Commission unanimously recommended updates to the county’s zoning ordinance to address the installation of solar facilities in the area after a public hearing during a Monday meeting. Commissioner Richard Metz was absent.
This recommendation now goes before the board of supervisors, which will hold a public hearing on the changes at 7 p.m. May 1.
The only commenter during Monday night’s public hearing was Ernest Clark, a neighbor to a proposed solar farm development who wanted to ensure he would have ample opportunity to share his concerns about the site.
“Yes, it is a pretty lengthy process that they have to go through,” Chairman William Kirk told Clark. “… it hasn’t even started. Tonight is basically just opening the gate for the discussions that could take place with any of the projects.”
Other commissioners said they have set a “pretty high bar” for future solar projects in the county. The recommended zoning language requires applicants for zoning permits and rezoning requests related to solar energy include traffic impact information, buffering and screening options and a detailed decommissioning plan addressing abandonment of the solar facility.
The county is updating its zoning ordinance after receiving three proposals for solar projects during the past few months.
A public hearing on a request by Margie Darby for a special use permit to allow a used car storage lot on her Nickland Road property elicited discussion between commissioners and two neighbors who expressed their concerns about the 40 to 60 cars near their homes.
Darby is allowing a local businessman to use the back of her property to store cars, which all are operational, she said. She is paid $450 per month for use of her property.
Jeff Coleman said he has to see the cars every day when he drives up his driveway and can see them when he sits on his front porch, which is behind the current storage area.
“I can sit right there on my front porch and look straight out that line, and I see cars and shimmers and glitter, chrome, glass, whatever. I don’t like that,” he told commissioners.
Leroy Simpson lives on the other side of Darby’s property and said he is concerned the area will turn into a car graveyard. He based this on the state of other properties used by this same businessman.
Commissioners told Darby they empathized with her need to earn money from the storage lot but ultimately unanimously voted to recommend denial of the special use permit.
“I am concerned about your well-being, and I am trying to balance these two together, but my honest opinion is I don’t think this is a good fit for the community,” Altavista representative Patrick Tweedy told Darby.
The Campbell County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the request at 7 p.m. June 5 before determining whether to approve or deny it.
Carrie Dungan covers Campbell and Appomattox counties for The News & Advance. Reach her at (434) 385-5537.