A solar ordinance for Page County seems to be getting closer to becoming reality! At Wednesday night’s meeting, supervisors approved a motion to not accept any new utility-scale solar applications until the county has a solar ordinance in place, or until June 1, 2022, whichever comes first.
This means we need to continue to encourage supervisors to adopt a strong solar ordinance before the June deadline – one that includes guidelines on project size, siting, buffers, fencing, screening, and the protection of natural and historic resources.
This decision by supervisors is encouraging news and we thank them for hitting pause again to get an ordinance in place. However, disappointingly, the special use permit for Cape Solar, the 560-acre project north of Luray, is exempt from the motion and remains stalled at the planning commission by a newly raised legal issue. It is our hope that somehow this project is also able to be considered against the guidelines a solar ordinance would provide.
For now, though, please keep calling your supervisor. Let them know that Wednesday’s move was a good one, and next up, they need to approve the ordinance overwhelmingly supported by the planning commission and the community.