Long County approves conditional use for proposed Talmadge Road solar farm

The Long County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved Conditional Use Requests CU-024-001 and CU-024-002 on Feb. 6, 2024, allowing a proposed solar farm on parcels off Talmadge Road.

At a public hearing, Planning and Zoning Administrator Jessica Smith said the parcels are zoned Agricultural Forestry and noted that a prior conditional use permit granted to Beltline Energy in July 2018 for the same property was never utilized and has since expired. Mrs. Phillips told the board the Planning and Zoning Board unanimously voted to recommend approval of the new permits in January 2024.

A member of the public, Jerry Young, asked whether a solar farm would lower utility bills for the community; Nick Stein of Inman Solar of Atlanta said it "is a possibility" but did not offer a guaranteed rate reduction. Chairman Robert Parker clarified that the board was not approving the conditional use on the basis of lowering residents' utility rates.

After closing the public hearing, commissioners added the conditional use items to the meeting agenda and voted to approve CU-024-001 and CU-024-002. The motion to approve was made by Commissioner Gerald Blocker and seconded by Commissioner John Reddish; the motion passed unanimously among the commissioners present.

The approval grants the county-level conditional use; the transcript does not specify permit conditions, surety, required county inspections, or an effective date. Next procedural steps (such as building permits or county inspections) were not specified in the record.