Mathews planners discussed the potential for rural solar power facilities for the county when the planning commission met Tuesday night in the historic courthouse.

Staff indicated that it would be helpful to formulate a policy in the Comprehensive Plan for industrial scale solar projects in advance of any such proposal. Planners discussed the potential of these facilities coming to Mathews and whether the county would be interested in them and what potential benefit such a project would be for Mathews and its residents.

According to the staff presentation, rural areas with open land that is properly drained provide the ideal condition for developers to construct solar facilities. There will eventually be a public hearing on this matter to get public input. This will be an ongoing item for the planning commission.

The planners also discussed the CARES Act funding and what the county could potentially use it for. There was discussion about whether the funding could be used to h...