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Before moving forward with a hearing, the owners of the Taro Solar project had a question. First it was answered by the Charlotte County Planning Commission. Now Taro officials want county supervisors to answer the same thing this week. 

During the planning commission’s June 26 meeting, instead of moving forward with their request for a conditional use permit, Taro officials wanted commission members to make a determination. In order to avoid issues later on in the application process, they wanted the commission to certify that Taro was in fact in compliance with the county’s current comprehensive plan. After some discussion, the commission members voted 6-3 in approval, with two members absent. Yes, they said, the Taro project would be in compliance with the comprehensive plan. They gave several reasons why, which we’ll get into in a minute. But first, let’s talk next steps. 

So the planning commission voted and gave their approval. You might think that means the Taro plan moves forward to a hearing now, but not quite yet. Since the planning commission is just an advisory group, the question has to be answered by Charlotte County supervisors. They have to take a vote and decide if Taro is in compliance or it isn’t.

If they agree with the planning commission, things go on as normal. Then Taro goes to a hearing at the planning commission level, with the public given time to weigh in on what they think and then the commission will make an overall recommendation. If supervisors disagree, if they decide that the Taro project isn’t in compliance, then the owners have to go back to the drawing board and rework it to address concerns before moving forward. 

What did the commission say? 

So why did the commission say the project is in compliance? The majority gave several reasons. First off, they cited its location. The project is in the northern part of Charlotte County, adjacent to Thomas Jefferson Highway and Taro Road, before extending out south to Welsh Tract Road. It sits 1.8 miles south of the border between Prince Edward County and Charlotte County, and 2.4 miles north of the Charlotte Court House town limits. That land is zoned general agriculture, which allows solar as a use. 

Second, as referenced above, it is more than two miles from the nearest town boundary. The nearest would be Charlotte Court House, at 2.4 miles away. Third, the commission argued that the solar project would generate “alternative, clean energy, temporarily providing a significant number of construction jobs and generating long-term revenue for the county.” 

Those were the major reasons for compliance cited by the commission. 

Taro Solar asks for a waiver

Now the project also gets brought up because its owners are asking for a waiver. The property is within five miles of Tall Pines, County Line, Gibson and the Austin Goldman V solar projects. That means as it stands, if Taro Solar were to be approved, 6.31% of that five mile stretch of land would be covered in solar panels. Charlotte County flags any such stretch that goes over 3% of the land mass, so the Taro Solar group is asking for a waiver. It’s worth pointing out that the Austin Goldman V project is pretty much dead at this point. Even though it was approved, the ownership group has terminated their conditional use permit. In fact, part of that land is being acquired by Taro. 

Taro officials also say they plan to take precautions, in terms of any potential graveyards or cemeteries on the property. One gravesite has been identified at the northern end of the Taro property, with a setback proposed and a planned waiver that has to be signed before the site can be accessed. Seeing as the project boundary is 400 feet from Saint Andrews Church, with equipment 951 feet away from the church cemetery, the company’s revised application asks for a setback of 1,000 feet. The company also agrees to do a cultural and historic resources assessment to find any additional cemeteries or gravesites. In their analysis, Charlotte County staff said as it stands, the application looked fine. However, if additional cemeteries are found on the property, then the county may need to take another look. 

One more concern 

And Charlotte County staff had one more concern about the project, namely its location in regards to Tall Pines Solar. 

“The scale and location of the proposed facility, when considered in combination with the adjacent Tall Pines project, introduce compatibility issues,” the staff analysis warns. “The Taro Solar project directly abuts the Tall Pines project. Tall Pines is a sizable facility whose fenced and buffered area spans approximately 1,430 acres (or 2.84% of the total in that five-mile radius.)” 

Combined together, the staff report points out, the two projects would cover 4.71% of the land in that five-mile stretch of land. 

As a result, “the cumulative visual and environmental impact may not be consistent with the intent of land use compatibility as expressed in the Comprehensive Plan,” city staffers wrote in their report. Combined, the two projects “form a contiguous area of industrial scale development in an otherwise rural and agricultural context.” 

This is why the Taro officials wanted a ruling from both the planning commission and county supervisors, when it comes to compliance. 

What is Taro Solar? 

So just a quick refresher on what the project is. This would be a 140-megawatt project on 35 parcels, spread out over 2,117 acres. Roughly 1,073 acres of that land would currently be in the fenceline, with the developed portion spanning 51% of the total acreage. 

Based on the current proposal, there would be 304,850 solar panels, 36 inverter pads and above ground utility poles used as part of this project. The current plans also call for 75-foot setbacks to neighboring properties and a 125-foot front setback,with a vegetative buffer and six gated entrances. 

There are two dams on the property, along with 146 acres of wetlands and bodies of water. That, combined with the fact a portion of the property is labeled as “steep slopes” has raised concerns from local residents. As a way to counter those concerns, project officials want to do some grading on site and set up 200-foot setbacks from the dam reservoir easement. Taro officials in their application also promise to avoid building downstream of the dams. 

Taro Solar also wrote in a May 23 letter to Charlotte officials that they would convert 402 acres of the property to a conserved open space and some of the other unused land would be set aside for things like “pollinator species planning and the development of quail habitats through collaboration with the Quail Forever organization and the Virginia Department of Natural Resources.”

Looking at a financial impact

So currently, what would the project’s financial impact be? In their May 23 letter to Charlotte County leaders, company officials estimate that Taro Solar will “generate approximately $215,600 in revenue share payments annually, commencing in 2030 and increasing by 10% in amount every 5 years thereafter. Over the Project’s lifespan, the County will collect approximately $10 million from revenue share payments alone.”

Additional payments would be made to the county in accordance with any terms set up in a negotiated siting agreement, company officials added. 

What happens next? 

The project will go before supervisors for a compliance discussion this Thursday, July 10. If supervisors agree that it is in compliance, the project goes back to the planning commission for a full review, with a public hearing set for July 24 at 7 p.m.