The Gloucester County Planning Commission recommended in favor of a proposed code amendment that would allow solar energy facilities to locate here.

Before it made its recommendation during a meeting last Thursday night in the colonial courthouse, the commission conducted a hearing. Only one person from the audience spoke, but he had an important message for the commission.

Roger G. Bowers, a real estate attorney with FutureLaw, LLC in Richmond, said he attended on behalf of a client who is interested in building a solar energy facility in Gloucester. The client, whom he did not identify, has already built other solar energy facilities in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

Bowers said his client is interested in purchasing a Gloucester site with between 150-225 acres. Building such a facility, which would have multiple solar panels to generate electricity that would be sent to the regional power grid, would probably result in at least 50 jobs, mostly construction and electrical worker...