12.B) Conditional Use Permit #12-21 for Hollow Road Solar, LLC, Submitted to Construct a Utility Scale Solar Power Generating Facility. The Subject Properties, Totaling 326+/- Acres, are Generally Located South of Parishville Road (Route 610) and South of the Terminus (cul-du-sac) of Anchorage Lane (Route 1416) in Gore, and are Identified with Property Identification Numbers (PINs) 27-A-8, 27-A-11 and 27-A-12 in the Gainesboro Magisterial District. Pursuant to Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2316.6 et seq., a Solar Facility Siting Agreement, Between Hollow Road Solar, LLC and the Frederick County Board of Supervisors is also being Considered.
I live on Welbourne Ln in the Gainesboro district. You voted no to this in March and then the county was sued. The lawsuit said your decision to deny was “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable” and there was “no evidence that the proposed solar farm did not satisfy the standards set out in the county’s zoning ordinance.” Was it arbitrary and unreasonable that you wanted to hold on approving any others since the two that had been approved only months before hadn’t been built yet and that we don’t even know the impact. You said those approved projects were to help subsidize farms in Frederick County. This is for-profit of a Northern VA company. Even though something meets the ordinances, it doesn’t mean that they automatically get approved. This lawsuit really undermines your authority as a Board of Supervisors.
A 2020 University of Rhode Island study looked at 400,000 real estate transactions within proximity of solar farms before and after construction. It found that within a 1/10 mile of the facility there was a decline of property values of approximately 7% and 1.7% within a mile. A 2018 University of Texas at Austin study looked at 956 solar facilities and found a negative impact for properties within 1/2 mile from a 20MW facility (same as this one).
The new plan from the 12/1 Planning Meeting slanted what I presented as concerns on “perceived impact to property values”. This statement alone discounts the references above to two major university studies with significant findings towards property values. I can see by the slanting of this information that this public hearing is possibly just a formality and that it’s a done deal. The plan updated after the 12/1 meeting also makes no mention that the Planning Commission recommended that pile-driving be updated to start at 8am. Can this please be updated?
If you vote yes on Jan 12, what kind of precedent does that set for future issues? It says all they have to do is sue our county to get a change in vote.
Diane Holmes, Landowner, Shawnee District with land in Gainesboro District. Hollow Road Solar Farm will be adjacent to my property and I support the use of this property for a solar farm. There are positive aspects of this CUP. In the Planning Commission meeting, a conservation easement was outlined. This allows for animals and flora to continue use of the property. Hollow Road Solar will be paying higher taxes keeping property taxes low. All heavy equipment construction traffic will use my driveway to and from site therefore not interrupting daily life of neighbors. Hollow Road has forfeited all development right so property can't be turned into a housing development which reduces traffic on Parishville Road. Which also reduces the number of children in the schools. It will add jobs to the County which will increase revenue. I see a win-win situation for Hollow Road Solar and the County.
john evans 156 anchorage lane, gore, gainesboro district. i hope everyone remembers the comments from december when this was originally on the agenda. basically this is a for-profit project from an outside company that benefits no one locally. as soon as they didnt get their way last year, they sued. if we approve it now, we are basically telling anyone they can come in and do whatever they want to our county even if we originally vote against it, because as soon at they take us to court, we'll give them what they want.
no one near the project wants it, it will destroy our property values and our views from our homes which is the main reason many of us chose to live here. we dont know the repercussions of the other 2 solar farms that were approved even though they will seem to help out local farmers, unlike this one.
the screening proposed is woefully insufficient and is nothing like what we were led to believe would exist when the project was first brought to our attention. once again, if they are so worried about the ozone layer, build the thing where it doesn't affect residents.
i hope the county once again rightfully votes against this project, and shows that the county will not be bullied by an outside corporation that doesnt get their way.
i feel my comments in december were probably more eloquent, but basically no one here wants it, so we hope you vote against it, and i hope hollow road solar is disappointed again.
I live on Welbourne Ln in the Gainesboro district. You voted no to this in March and then the county was sued. The lawsuit said your decision to deny was “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable” and there was “no evidence that the proposed solar farm did not satisfy the standards set out in the county’s zoning ordinance.” Was it arbitrary and unreasonable that you wanted to hold on approving any others since the two that had been approved only months before hadn’t been built yet and that we don’t even know the impact. You said those approved projects were to help subsidize farms in Frederick County. This is for-profit of a Northern VA company. Even though something meets the ordinances, it doesn’t mean that they automatically get approved. This lawsuit really undermines your authority as a Board of Supervisors.
A 2020 University of Rhode Island study looked at 400,000 real estate transactions within proximity of solar farms before and after construction. It found that within a 1/10 mile of the facility there was a decline of property values of approximately 7% and 1.7% within a mile. A 2018 University of Texas at Austin study looked at 956 solar facilities and found a negative impact for properties within 1/2 mile from a 20MW facility (same as this one).
The new plan from the 12/1 Planning Meeting slanted what I presented as concerns on “perceived impact to property values”. This statement alone discounts the references above to two major university studies with significant findings towards property values. I can see by the slanting of this information that this public hearing is possibly just a formality and that it’s a done deal. The plan updated after the 12/1 meeting also makes no mention that the Planning Commission recommended that pile-driving be updated to start at 8am. Can this please be updated?
If you vote yes on Jan 12, what kind of precedent does that set for future issues? It says all they have to do is sue our county to get a change in vote.
Diane Holmes, Landowner, Shawnee District with land in Gainesboro District. Hollow Road Solar Farm will be adjacent to my property and I support the use of this property for a solar farm. There are positive aspects of this CUP. In the Planning Commission meeting, a conservation easement was outlined. This allows for animals and flora to continue use of the property. Hollow Road Solar will be paying higher taxes keeping property taxes low. All heavy equipment construction traffic will use my driveway to and from site therefore not interrupting daily life of neighbors. Hollow Road has forfeited all development right so property can't be turned into a housing development which reduces traffic on Parishville Road. Which also reduces the number of children in the schools. It will add jobs to the County which will increase revenue. I see a win-win situation for Hollow Road Solar and the County.
john evans 156 anchorage lane, gore, gainesboro district. i hope everyone remembers the comments from december when this was originally on the agenda. basically this is a for-profit project from an outside company that benefits no one locally. as soon as they didnt get their way last year, they sued. if we approve it now, we are basically telling anyone they can come in and do whatever they want to our county even if we originally vote against it, because as soon at they take us to court, we'll give them what they want.
no one near the project wants it, it will destroy our property values and our views from our homes which is the main reason many of us chose to live here. we dont know the repercussions of the other 2 solar farms that were approved even though they will seem to help out local farmers, unlike this one.
the screening proposed is woefully insufficient and is nothing like what we were led to believe would exist when the project was first brought to our attention. once again, if they are so worried about the ozone layer, build the thing where it doesn't affect residents.
i hope the county once again rightfully votes against this project, and shows that the county will not be bullied by an outside corporation that doesnt get their way.
i feel my comments in december were probably more eloquent, but basically no one here wants it, so we hope you vote against it, and i hope hollow road solar is disappointed again.