Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The auditorium at the Greenfield Education and Training Center in Daleville where the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors meets was once again at full capacity. Last month, over 20 citizens voiced their opinions in regard to the Second Amendment “sanctuary” movement. This time, those who spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting spoke in favor of and in opposition to a request from Apex Clean Energy to consider text amendments to the county’s zoning ordinance in regard to the Rocky Forge Wind project atop North Mountain in Eagle Rock.
Ultimately, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of sending the text amendment request to the Botetourt County Planning Commission. The motion to do so was made by Dr. Richard Bailey, who represents Eagle Rock as part of the Fincastle District. Steve Clinton, who represents the Amsterdam District, stressed that he wants to make certain that it’s understood that the board’s action on the matter was strictly procedural and didn’t necessarily mean that they approved of the amendments one way or the other. Board of Supervisors Chairman Billy Martin, who represents the Blue Ridge District, said that considering that a permit was originally issued for the project, he would like to see the request process play out.
The options before the Board of Supervisors were: approve the request for the proposed amendments to be reviewed by county staff so that the Planning Commission can hold a public hearing and make a recommendation to them; deny the request so that the ordinance remains unchanged; or table the request for consideration at a further meeting.
Because of the decision to send the request to the Planning Commission, it will appear before the planners sometime next year after county staff has had time to fully review the matter. A date for the Planning Commission’s public hearing and decision on whether or not to recommended approval of the request to the Board of Supervisors has not been set yet. Planning Commission meetings are normally held on the second Monday of every month in the Old District Courthouse in Fincastle at 6 p.m.
Depending on the Planning Commission’s decision, the text amendments will come back to the Board of Supervisors for an additional public hearing and final vote. The commission can approve, amend, or deny the request.
The request for amendments comes from Apex and property owner Jerry L. Fraley, who noted in their application that “wind energy technologies, equipment, and efficiencies have changed since the Rocky Forge Special Exception Permit was approved in early 2016.” The request asks that the county’s zoning ordinance be amended for the purpose of permitting taller turbines, increasing the structure height for substations and points of interconnections, and revising the permit expiration timeframe.
Originally, Apex was approved to construct 25 wind turbines at a maximum height of 550 feet. Now, Apex wants to construct a smaller number of 680-foot-tall wind turbines. The increased height, Apex notes, will increase turbine efficiency and reduce fatigue.
Prior to the vote by the supervisors, Charlie Johnson, a developer with Apex, gave a presentation on the company and the project in question. He reported that he’s happy to work for the company, which was criticized by multiple speakers during the public comments portion.
The current permit is set to expire in January 2021. Johnson noted that assuming the requested text amendments are approved, commercial operations are planned to begin in 2021. Additionally, an expiration extension for January 2023 is being requested.
In October, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that an agreement had been reached for Virginia to buy wind energy from the project, which is set to be Virginia’s first onshore wind farm.
