Article XVIII, Sec. 21-1803, 21-1806, 21-1807
Dimensional standards
Height & bulk
Servicing
- Geographic extent
- All of Henry County, Virginia
Uses
Permitted by right1
Conditional / special use1
Extracted standards
20 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Density
- Maximum solar project area within 5-mile radius2.5 pct
no more than two and one-half (2½) percent of the land in a five-mile radius of the project area of any existing large scale solar energy facility shall be approved for use as the project area for a new large scale solar energy facility.
Fencing & walls
- Minimum security fence heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.6 ft
The project area shall be enclosed by security fencing not less than six (6) feet in height and equipped with an appropriate anticlimbing device such as strands of barbed wire on top of the fence.
Landscaping & trees
- Minimum vegetative buffer width20 ft
The buffer shall consist of a landscaped strip at least twenty (20) feet wide
- Pollinator-friendly native plants required
The project area will be seeded with appropriate pollinator-friendly native plants, shrubs, trees, grasses, forbs and wildflowers.
Lighting
- Lighting limited to security minimum
Lighting shall be limited to the minimum reasonably necessary for security purposes and shall be designed to minimize off-site effects.
Noise
- Comply with county noise ordinance
Noise levels from the facility shall comply at all times with the county noise ordinance.
Other
- ProhibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance. within 1 mile of airport unless FAA certification1 mile
Large scale solar energy facilities shall not be located within one mile of an airport unless the applicant submits... written certification from the Federal Aviation Administration...
- Comply with uniform statewide building code
All solar energy facilities shall be constructed and operated in compliance with the uniform statewide building code.
- Decommissioning plan required
The applicant shall provide a detailed decommissioning plan...
- Removal within 365 days of abandonment365 days
Within three hundred sixty-five (365) days of the abandonments, the owner or operator shall complete the physical removal of the solar energy project
- Decommissioning security may be required for projects >20 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
For some projects (greater than twenty (20) acres) the Board of Zoning Appeals may require reliable methods of secured funding sources...
- County officials allowed access for inspection
The owners and/or operator will allow designated county officials access to the facility for inspection purposes
- Comply with FAA regulations
All solar energy facilities must meet or exceed the standards and regulations of the Federal Aviation Administration.
- Liability insurance required
The applicant shall propose a reasonable amount of liability insurance...
- Maximum county-wide solar project area2,445 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
No more than one percent of the County's land mass, equating to two thousand four hundred forty-five (2,445) acres of solar project area, shall be approved for large scale solar energy facilities.
- Comply with National Electric Code
All solar energy facilities shall be constructed and operated in compliance with the National Electric Code.
- Solar project area setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from adjacent property lines50 ft
and a distance of at least fifty (50) feet from adjacent property lines.
- Solar project area setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from public rights-of-way100 ft
The project area shall be set back a distance of at least one hundred (100) feet from all public rights-of-way and main buildings on adjoining parcels
- Underlying zoning districtZoning districtA mapped area with one set of rules, identified by a code like R-1 or B-2. setbacksSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. also apply
Solar energy facilities also shall meet all setback requirements for primary structures for the zoning district in which the facility is located in addition to the requirements set forth above.
Signage
- Signage restrictions on solar equipment
All signs, flags, streamers or similar items, both temporary and permanent, are prohibited on solar equipment except as follows...
From the ordinance
The project area shall be set back a distance of at least one hundred (100) feet from all public rights-of-way and main buildings on adjoining parcels, and a distance of at least fifty (50) feet from adjacent property lines.