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Planners recommend against solar in county, delay decision on helipad

At its first in-person meeting since last November, the Mathews County Planning Commission met last Wednesday evening in the Harry M. Ward Auditorium at Mathews High School.

The planners had a busy night, conducting two public hearings—one on an amendment to the comprehensive plan regarding utility-scale solar facilities and another on a conditional use permit to allow an aviation facility (helipad) on Gwynn’s Island.

Planners voted to recommend an amendment to the Public Facilities and Services section of the comprehensive plan that states solar farms are not supported in the county. The statement reads that:

“Mathews County faces numerous development constraints due to environmental factors, including poorly drained soils, floodplains, wetlands, and Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act buffer areas. To minimize the impact on the environment, solar facilities should not be located in any of the aforementioned areas. Furthermore, the prevalence of these areas across the County mea...

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