AUGUSTA SOLAR LLC

SPECIAL USE PERMIT

REQUEST
Review of citizen concerns/questions
 Public concern – How will the use affect my property values or ability
to sell my property?
 An Exploration of Property-Value Impacts Near Utility-Scale Solar
Installations
 Survey of residential property assessors
 “Our results show that while a majority of survey respondents estimated a
value impact of zero, some estimated a negative impact associated with
close distances between the home and the facility, and larger facility size.”
 Assessors felt that there was little guidance in their profession related to utility
scale solar uses
 Geospatial reference of existing solar projects
 Housing density in relationship to size of projects
 Median income in relationship to size of projects

PROPERTY VALUES
 California project related research – topic since 2013
 Established an Avian-Solar Work Group (2015)
 collaborative group of environmental
organizations, academics, solar companies, and solar industry
representatives that will advance coordinated scientific research to
better understand how birds interact with solar facilities.
 Developed a list of research questions and research priorities
 Website shows no research publications to date – Coming Soon!

LAKE EFFECT – BIRD HABITATS

 Project will be required to submit calculations to Engineering for
review.
 Recommended conditions include a provision for the applicant
to hire a full time equivalent Erosions and Sediment Control and
Storm water management inspector that will comply with DEQ
requirements and report to our Program Administrator.

EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL

AND STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
 The Applicant commits to utilizing and shall utilize monocrystalline
solar panels for the Project. The Applicant shall not utilize any
panels that of the type known as thin-film panels, including but
not limited to not utilizing panels manufactured with or coated
using the GenX chemical, amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium
telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium selenide (CIS/CIGS), or
organic photovoltaic cells (OPC) panels. Moreover, to the extent
any panel utilized has a Safety Data Sheet associated therewith
under 29 CFR 1910.1200(g) and its Appendix D, the Safety Data
Sheet shall be disclosed, as well.

PUBLIC HEALTH - TOXINS

 Concurrent with the submittal of the final site plan, the owner of
the system shall produce to the County an estimate of the
decommissioning costs as outlined in the Augusta County Code
Section 25-70.8 and 25-70.9, as amended, and/or detailed below
(the more stringent shall apply), and not to include a salvage
value credit, by line item and the surety guaranteeing the
payment of those costs and the decommissioning work. The
estimate shall be signed and sealed by a third party engineer
licensed in Virginia.

DECOMMISSIONING
 The decommissioning cost estimate shall include, at least, the following
delineated by line item:

 Total cost related to complying with all the decommissioning work required by this
Special Use Permit.
 Costs related to creating, maintaining, and re-stabilizing all construction entrances
identified on the Property, with a separate line item for each such construction
entrance, unless written waiver to the Board of Supervisors is requested by the
landowner.
 Costs for mobilization.
 Costs for removal and disposal of all materials, line itemed by category of facility.
For example “cost to remove conduit,” “cost to remove panels,” “cost to remove
panel support structure,” “cost to remove inverters,” etc.

DECOMMISSIONING
  Costs to de-compact soils.
 Costs to stabilize land disturbed by the decommissioning work.
 Costs of trucking, hauling and equipment use.
 Costs for groundwater monitoring as required by Section 25-70.7 of the Augusta
County Code.
 Costs of all labor and estimated man hours to perform the decommissioning work.
 Costs must assume an increase in labor and equipment costs of two percent (2%)
a year every year until the completion of decommissioning and must assume
commencement of decommissioning after year thirty-five (35) of operation.
 Costs must include a 25% contingency of the total estimate.
 The certification of a third party engineer licensed in Virginia affirming that the
owner/operators’ cost estimate is sufficient to satisfy the decommissioning
required herein

DECOMMISSIONING
 Urban Service Areas are defined as areas which are appropriate locations for
development of a full range of public and private land uses of an urban
character on public water and sewer, in either the immediate or long term future
 Urban Service Areas are characterized by relatively substantial amounts of
existing development and public utilities and facilities, substantial amounts of
available developable land, and good transportation access. Those areas
designated as Urban Service Areas are those which are appropriate for urban
development on public water and sewer within the 20 year timeframe of this Plan.
 The infrastructure is not in place at this time to provide service to every parcel
identified as being in the Urban Service Area. However, as development occurs
the expectation is that it will be on public water and sewer service. It is also
recognized that not every parcel of land in the Urban Service Area will be sold for
development within the next 20 years and not every parcel, due to site specific
considerations, is appropriate for development at the densities proposed.

URBAN SERVICE AREA

 The development that is expected to take place in the Urban Service Areas is expected to be:
 Compact
 Interconnected
 Pedestrian oriented
 Remain sensitive to the context of the surrounding development and natural features
 Due to the urban nature of the development planned for these areas, intensive agricultural operations
would not be encouraged to locate or expand in these areas.

 Priority locations for:

 Significant amounts of urban residential and employment growth
 Expansions of public water and sewer service
 Local and regional public facilities
 Most “one-of-a-kind” public facilities such as hospitals
 Most industrial development with adequate facilities and buffers
 Larger scale urban residential and business developments
 Larger scale mixed use development, where different combinations of residential, business, and
industrial uses will be found

URBAN SERVICE AREA

 Development expected to take place in the Community
Development Areas is expected to be compact,
interconnected, and pedestrian oriented while remaining
sensitive to the context of the surrounding development as well
as the surrounding natural features. Clustered developments
would be encouraged in these areas.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AREA

 Community Development Areas are local community settlements which
have existing public water or public sewer systems in place or which have
relatively good potential for extensions of either of those utilities. These area
are appropriate locations for future low density, rural land uses based upon
road access, the existing land use pattern, and proximity to existing public
facilities and services, although they are planned to remain predominantly
residential in character.
 Community Development Areas are priority locations for:
 Moderate amounts of small scale residential and employment growth at
marginally higher densities than in the Rural Conservation Areas
 Limited expansions of public water or sewer service
 Local public facilities
 Small scale, low-intensity commercial and/or light industrial developments

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AREA

 Rural in character from an ongoing operations standpoint – no
traffic, limited utilization of public services
 Construction period would present a different range of impacts
than ongoing operations, staff recommended conditions address
many of these impacts
 Compatible with agriculture and intensive agriculture operations
- unlike residential incompatibilities related to noise, smell, etc.
 Return to agriculture after the completion of project – desired in
the areas of the County planned for long-terming agriculture
operations

CHARACTER OF THE PROJECT

 Existing industry and residential development interspersed with agricultural
operations.
 Current character of area is representative of an area planned for growth,
transitioning overtime
 1-64 and 1-81 interchange – 1987 Comprehensive Plan recognized Stuarts
Draft as a sewer service area, 1994 Comprehensive Plan cemented Stuarts
Draft as a growth area, 2007 Comprehensive Plan (community input) further
cemented Stuarts Draft as an Urban Service Area and increased growth
percentage goal – 2015 Comprehensive Plan Update – remains committed
to growth at this location.
 Existing manufacturing and employment center
 Interconnectivity – Ordinance requirement for development to provide
connection to adjacent property located within an Urban Service Area or
Community Development Area

LOCATION AND CHARACTER