Virginia bars local solar bans, so Chesterfield needs its own rules

TL;DR: Virginia law no longer lets localities ban solar development outright, which means every county, Chesterfield included, needs rules for how it will handle solar proposals.

Virginia law now prohibits local governments from banning solar development outright, so every locality needs rules for judging solar proposals, as Cardinal News reported in a column on rural counties weighing state intervention. Chesterfield has not announced a solar ordinance of its own; the county appears in that reporting for a proposed gas plant, not solar. Rural counties across the state have shown reluctance to embrace solar development and risk potential state intervention if they don't adopt their own rules. Chesterfield must navigate the balance between allowing solar development and addressing local concerns about how projects fit into the community.

Why it matters: How Chesterfield chooses to regulate solar farms will affect local land use decisions, property values, and community character for residents.

Read the source at Cardinal News →