Tag Archives: solar panels

Planning Commission For Solar SUP Opens Public Hearing For Project On 2/4/2021

Redfish Solar Partners has applied for a special use permit for plans involving the construction of a renewable energy facility on 96.6 acres of land currently zoned as agricultural land on Catharpin Road in Locust Grove.

The Orange County Planning Commission will hold an open, public hearing on the SUP at its Feb. 4 meeting, and will continue to accept written comments until Tuesday, February 23rd.

The company suggests the project will have a minuscule impact on county services, and infrastructure including emergency services, schools roads, water, and sewer.

The application, which is nearly 100 pages long, suggests that the project would not be producing noise, dust, or vibration, have a limited environmental impact and have little to no impact on traffic, and would not present safety hazards to surrounding properties. Currently, there are no buildings on the parcel and none have been proposed.

If the operation is approved, the applicants suggest that the project will end up generating “about 10,290 megawatt-hours of clean renewable electricity each year, which is equivalent to 840 homes’ energy use for one year, 1,572 passenger vehicles driven for one year, and 7,276 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided.”

In the past few weeks, the Orange County Board of Supervisors has continued to discuss solar farms during the “board comment” portion of the meeting, including concerns over the proposed project and one in the neighboring county of Spotsylvania that originally spawned the Orange board to file suit.

Any written comments that are sent to the planning commission should be no more than 500 words and remain on a single sheet of paper. Comments can be submitted by mail to Sandra Thornton, 128 W. Main Street, Orange, VA 22960; or by email to sthornton@orangecountyva.gov. All comments must be received no later than noon on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Application materials can be viewed at orangecountyva.gov. For more information, call (540) 672-4347 or email zoning@orangecountyva.gov.

 Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in Fredericksburg, Stafford, Orange, Locust Grove, Culpeper, Northern Virginia or even Maryland or DC, we are your Real Estate team committed to finding the perfect home for you! Thinking of selling? In any market condition, “what is my home worth?” is the #1 question asked by homeowners. If you wish to sell your home, it needs to be sold for top dollar, and in a timely manner. Pricing your home accurately, one of our area expert advisors will partner with you to make the selling process so much easier. Get started today by calling us at (540) 388-2541 or contact Pat Licata.

To see available properties, please visit our website licatagroup.com

Solar Farm Developer Scheduled to Meet with Locust Grove Neighbors Tuesday

The company planning to develop a solar farm here in Locust Grove will be holding a second public meeting on the project tomorrow, Tuesday January 29th at 5:30pm at the Wilderness Branch Library.

A 400-acre 62-megawatt solar farm has been proposed for Locust Grove along Route 20 (less than a mile west of Locust Grove Primary and Elementary Schools). Citizens now have until January 30th to submit any comments or concerts. This is part of a mandatory 30-day public review period, allowing time for the public who may be affected by the construction, to voice their opinions. This 400-acres of 630 acres that Cypress Creek Renewable owns, would be this county’s first large-scale solar farm. Before Cypress Creek can begin construction on this project later this year and begin operations in 2020, the Virginia DEQ (VA Department of Environmental Quality) must review the company’s Permit by Rule application (400 pages). There are 15 total requirements that must be met including a $12,000 application fee paid by the developer.

You can review Cypress Creek’s Permit by Rule application online or at the Wilderness Public Library. Development coordinator, Haley Larabee proposes that this operation will produce enough clean and renewable energy to power about 10,000 single family homes. And what about the real estate market? Larabee says, “studies by our appraiser have shown that there’s no negative effect on the property value of surrounding uses.”

We are not alone here in Locust Grove, Cypress Creek Renewables has similar projects in Henrico and Halifax. Learn more about the solar matter here.

Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in Lake of the Woods VA or Waterfront property in Virginia we are your professionals for Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Locust Grove, Central Virginia, and Greater Virginia, we are your proven Real Estate professionals. Thinking of selling? In any market condition, “what is my home worth?” is the #1 question asked by home owners. If you wish to sell your home, it needs to be sold for top dollar and in a timely manner. Pricing your home accurately, Pat will partner with you to make the selling process so much easier. Get started today by calling us at (540) 388-2541 or contact Pat Licata.

To see available Lake of the Woods properties, please visit our site.