HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP202000007 Staff Report 2023-02-10COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
TRANSMITTAL TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
SUMMARY OF PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION
AGENDA TITLE:
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric
Cooperative
SU BJ ECT/PROPOSAL/REQU EST:
Install "pole topper" extensions on existing
power line poles to increase the height of the
poles from an average of 46 feet to a new
height of an average of 82 feet in order to install
a new 115-kiloVolt powerline, on an existing
transmission line route of approximately 1.6
miles, along an existing utility easement
proposed to increase from 40 feet in width to 75
feet in width.
AGENDA DATE:
April 21, 2021
STAFF CONTACT(S):
Scott Clark
PRESENTER (S):
Scott Clark
BACKGROUND:
At its meeting on February 2, 2021, the Planning Commission voted 6:0 to recommend approval of
SP202000007, with conditions. The Planning Commission staff report, action letter, and minutes are
attached (Attachments A, B, and C).
DISCUSSION:
At its public hearing, the Planning Commission had several questions for the applicant, primarily about
the proposal's effect on vegetative cover along the Route 29 entrance corridor. In addition, two
neighboring owners expressed concerns both in writing (Attachment A.6) and during the public comment
portion of the Planning Commission meeting. Again, however, following the public hearing, the Planning
Commission unanimously recommended approval.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends that the Board adopt the attached Resolution (Attachment D) to approve
SP202000007 subject to the conditions contained therein.
ATTACHMENTS
A — Planning Commission Staff Report
A.1 —Map
A.2 — Project Narrative
A.3 — Conceptual Plan
A.4 — Illustration
A.5 — Draft Integrated Vegetation Management Plan
A.6 — Public Input
B — Planning Commission Action Letter
C — Draft Meeting Minutes from 2/2/2021 PC Public Hearing
D — Resolution to Approve SP202000007
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ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING
STAFF REPORT SUMMARY
Project Name: SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric
Staff: Scoff Clark, Senior Planner
Cooperative
Planning Commission (PC) Hearing: February 2, 2021
Board of Supervisors (BOS) Hearing: to be determined
Owner: Rappahannock Electric Cooperative holds an
Applicant: Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
easement over the parcels listed below and proposes to
expand that easement.
Acreage: 216.62 (total acreage of parcels)
Special Use Permit(s) for: Energy and communications
transmission facilities under Section 26.2(a) and Section
10.2.2(6) of the Zoning Ordinance, on 19 parcels of land totaling
approximately 216.62 acres. No dwelling units proposed.
Tax Map Parcels (TMPs): 02100-00-00-01200, 02100-00-00-
Zoning/by-right use: LI — Light Industrial, which allows
012D0, 02100-00-00-01500, 02100-00-00-015G0, 02100-00-
industrial, office, and limited commercial uses (no residential
00-015B0, 02100-00-00-016CO3 02100-00-00-01600, 02100-
use). RA — Rural Area, which allows agricultural, forestal, and
00-00-017CO3 02100-00-00-017A0, 02100-00-00-01900,
fishery uses; residential density (0.5 unit/acre in development
02100-00-00-007A0,02100-00-00-007A0,02100-00-00-00700,
lots)
02100-00-00-006B0,02100-00-00-006E2,02100-00-00-006130,
02100-00-00-00611,02100-00-00-0061-10,02100-00-00-006AO
Magisterial Districts: Rio, White Hall, Rivanna
Location: Parallel to the west side of Route 29 (Seminole Trail)
from the southwest side of the intersection of Dickerson Lane and
Route 29, north to the Greene County municipal boundary, a
corridor of approximately 1.6 miles.
School Districts: Baker -Butler Elementary; Sutherland Middle;
Conditions: Yes
Albemarle High School
Development Area: No
Requested # of Dwelling Units/Lots: N/A
Proposal: Install "pole topper" extensions on existing power line
Comp. Plan Designation: Office/R&D/Flex/Light Industrial —
poles to increase the height of the poles from an average of 46
commercial, professional office; research and development,
feet to a new height of an average of 82 feet in order to install a
design, testing of prototypes; manufacturing, assembly,
new 115-kiloVolt powerline, on an existing transmission line
packaging; residential is a secondary use (no maximum density),
route of approximately 1.6 miles, along an existing utility
within the Community of Piney Mountain of the Places29 Master
easement proposed to increase from 40 feet in width to 75 feet
Plan area. Rural Area — preserve and protect agricultural,
in width.
forestal, open space, and natural, historic and scenic resources;
residential (0.5 unit/ acre in development lots).
Character of Property: The utility easement crosses a mix of
Use of Surrounding Properties: Forest, residential, and retail
large wooded parcels, residential properties, and small
uses
commercial properties along the west wide of US 29.
Factors Favorable:
Factors Unfavorable:
1. The proposed upgrade would increase the reliability of
1. The pole -height increase necessary to carry the new
electrical utility service to area residents.
transmission lines would increase the already -significant
2. Use of the existing corridor for the installation of a
visual impacts of the utility poles on the US 29 Entrance
transmission line, rather than a new corridor, avoids new
Corridor. The recommended condition requiring Integrated
land -cover and water impacts in the Rural Areas.
Vegetation Management would help to offset the visual
impact by encouraging taller native vegetation rather than
mowed open areas in the utility corridor.
Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of SP202000007 with conditions.
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 1
STAFF CONTACT: Scott Clark, Senior Planner
PLANNING COMMISSION: February 2, 2021
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: TBD
PETITION:
PROJECT: SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT(S): Rio, White Hall, Rivanna
TAX 1vAP/PARCEL(S): 02100-00-00-01200, 02100-00-00-012D0, 02100-00-00-01500, 02100-00-00-015G0,
02100-00-00-015130,02100-00-00-016C0,02100-00-00-01600,02100-00-00-017C0,02100-00-00-017A0,02100-
00-00-01900,02100-00-00-007A0,02100-00-00-007A0,02100-00-00-00700,02100-00-00-006B0,02100-00-00-
006E2,02100-00-00-006D0,02100-00-00-00611,02100-00-00-006110,02100-00-00-006A0
LOCATION: Parallel to the west side of Route 29 (Seminole Trail) from the southwest side of the intersection of
Dickerson Lane and Route 29, north to the Greene County municipal boundary, a corridor of approximately 1.6
miles.
PROPOSAL: Install "pole topper" extensions on existing power line poles to increase the height of the poles from an
average of 46 feet to a new height of an average of 82 feet in order to install a new 115-kiloVolt powerline, on an
existing transmission line route of approximately 1.6 miles, along an existing utility easement proposed to increase
from 40 feet in width to 75 feet in width.
PETITION: Energy and communications transmission facilities under Section 26.2(a) and Section 10.2.2(6) of the
Zoning Ordinance, on 19 parcels of land totaling approximately 216.62 acres. No dwelling units proposed.
ZONING: LI — Light Industrial, which allows industrial, office, and limited commercial uses (no residential use).
RA Rural Area, which allows agricultural, forestal, and fishery uses; residential density (0.5 unittacre in
development lots)
ENTRANCE CORRIDOR: Yes
OVERLAY DISTRICT(S): Airport Impact Area; Steep Slopes — Managed
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: Office/R&D/Flex/Light Industrial — commercial, professional office; research and
development, design, testing of prototypes; manufacturing, assembly, packaging; residential is a secondary use (no
maximum density), within the Community of Piney Mountain of the Places29 Master Plan area. Rural Area —
preserve and protect agricultural, forestal, open space, and natural, historic and scenic resources; residential (0.5 unit/
acre in development lots).
CHARACTER OF THE AREA:
The area includes large forested rural parcels with low -density residential uses and occasional retail uses. US 29 is a
heavily -travelled highway corridor.
PLANNING AND ZONING HISTORY:
Previous to this request, this utility corridor has been a by -right electric distribution that required no legislative
approvals or site development plans.
DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL:
The existing electric line from the Greene County boundary to the Dickerson Road substation (see Attachment A
map) is a distribution line. The proposed upgrade (see narrative in Attachment B and conceptual plan in Attachment
C) would add "pole toppers" to each existing pole (see Attachment D for illustration). These toppers, which are
metal pole extensions that connect directly to the tops of the existing poles, average 35 feet in height. (The existing
poles average 50 feet in height.) The new pole sections would carry higher -voltage (115kV) transmission lines. In
order to provide the necessary clear area around the transmission lines, the utility proposes to increase the existing
40-foot utility easement to 75 feet, with an additional 17.5 feet in the VDOT right-of-way (east side) and an
additional 17.5 feet on private property (west side). No earth disturbance or grading is proposed. No additional poles
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 2
are proposed.
The applicants have stated that this proposed upgrade is the final stage of an expanded electricity -transmission
network that would significantly reduce power -outage times by providing multiple routes to connect generation
facilities to substations.
The community input for this proposal was gathered in the early portion of the County's Covid-19 response, when
in -person community meetings were temporarily replaced with information posted on the internet and responses
collected through public -input forms.
One response was received with questions from a landowner located on the east (opposite) side of US 29. The
response contained a question about revenue impacts and another on an unrelated tower east of US 29, but expressed
neither support nor opposition (see Attachment F). Staff responded to the respondent's questions.
Staff also received one letter from a citizen expressing concern about this project (see Attachment F).
ANALYSIS OF THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT REQUEST
Section 33.39(B) states that the Commission, in making its recommendation, shall consider the samefactors
found in Section 33.40(B):
1. No substantial detriment Whether the proposed special use will be a substantial detriment to
adjacent parcels.
The proposed utility structures would add on to existing poles, and would not create any new ground
disturbance or prevent access to any parcels. The proposed expansion of the utility easement would permit the
utility to manage and remove trees, branches, and other vegetation for an additional 17.5 feet west of the
existing corridor. No substantial detriment is expected from the proposed upgrade.
2. Character of the nearby area is unchanged Whether the character of the adjacent parcels and the
nearby area will be changed by the proposed special use.
Increase in pole heights within an existing electrical -utility corridor is not expected to change the overall
character of the area. Surrounding land uses could continue unchanged outside of the relatively small increase
in width of the utility corridor.
3. Harmony.
Whether the proposed special use will be in harmony with the purpose and intent of this chapter,
Section 1.4(D) of the Zoning Ordinance states that one of the purposes of the Ordinance is to:
"Facilitate providing adequate police and fire protection, disaster evacuation, civil defense,
transportation, water, sewerage, flood protection, schools, parks, forests, playgrounds, recreational
facilities, airports and other public requirements;"
The applicants have stated that completion of the upgrade to I l5kV "will provide system resiliency by
allowing REC's existing substations to backfeed when outages occur on the existing lines, which will enable
REC to restore power to its customers more quickly. It will also help REC meet its members' needs for more
power in the future."
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 3
with the uses permitted by right in the district,
Public utilities are in harmony with and supportive of agricultural and residential uses in the district.
with the regulations provided in Section S as applicable,
5.1.12 PUBLIC UTILITY STRUCTURES/USES
a. The proposed use at the location selected will not endanger the health and safety of workers and/or
residents in the community and will not impair or prove detrimental to neighboringproperties or the
development of same;
The proposed pole toppers would be attached to the existing poles. Access to the subject properties and the
neighboring properties would not be changed.
b. Public utility buildings and structures in any residential zone shall, whereverpractical, have the exterior
appearance of residential buildings and shall have landscaping, screen planting and/or fencing, whenever
these are deemed necessary by the commission;
In addition, trespass fencing and other safety measures may be required as deemed necessary to reasonably
protect the public welfare;
In cases of earth -disturbing activity, immediate erosion control and reseeding shall be required to the
satisfaction of the zoning administrator;
These measures are not necessary, as no buildings or structures other than the pole extensions are proposed.
No earth -disturbing activity would be needed.
c. Such structures as towers, transmission lines, transformers, etc., which are abandoned, damaged or
otherwise in a state of disrepair, which in the opinion of the zoning administrator pose a hazard to the
public safety, shall be repaired/removed to the satisfaction of the zoning administrator within a reasonable
time prescribed by the zoning administrator,
Any future removals or repairs could be ensured through enforcement of this ordinance requirement.
d. In approval of a public utility use, the commission shall be mindful of the desirability of use by more than
one utility company of such features as utility easements and river crossings, particularly in areas of
historic, visual or scenic value, and it shall, insofar as practical, condition such approvals so as to minimize
the proliferation of such easements or crossings, as described by the comprehensive plan.
No new crossings are proposed, and the new facilities would use the existing corridor, with the
requested 35-foot horizontal expansion.
and with the public health, safety, and general welfare.
The only new safety issue generated by this proposal would be the larger area required by higher -voltage
lines to prevent tree contact with the line. That issue is addressed by the proposed wider utility easement.
Provision of upgraded power -transmission lines can increase general welfare by ensuring more consistent
service during periods of high demand.
4. Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. Whether the proposed special use will be consistent with
the Comprehensive Plan.
Scenic Resources: The existing utility corridor is located along US 29, which is a designated Entrance
Corridor and high -volume travel route through the County. The proposed pole extensions would be visible
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 4
from the Entrance Corridor (see photo -simulations in Attachment D).
The "Historic, Cultural, and Scenic Resources" chapter of the Comprehensive Plan contains several policies
related to visual impacts on scenic resources:
• Objective 6: Continue to protect and enhance scenic resources for residents and tourists.
• Objective 7: Maintain or improve the visual quality of all of Albemarle's roadways.
• Objective 8: Maintain the visual integrity of Albemarle's Entrance Corridors.
• Strategy 8b: Continue to use the Entrance Corridor design guidelines to help maintain the integrity
of Entrance Corridors in Albemarle County.
This proposal was presented to the Architectural Review Board (ARB) on May 11, 2020, and November 2,
2020. As stated in the staff memo presented to the ARB, " [tlhere are clear limitations associated with
screening utility lines." Measures typically used to make structures compatible with regional designs or to
block the view of necessary infrastructure cannot be effectively applied to utility poles eighty feet in height
Over the course of the ARB review, staff, the applicants, and the ARB focused on offsetting the visual
impacts of the pole -height increases rather than concealing the new construction.
At the November ARB meeting, the applicants proposed that the planned change in corridor landcover
management from mowing to "integrated vegetation management" (IVM) could also be used to offset the
visual impacts of the heightened poles. This form of management, as detailed in the applicants' proposed
Integrated Vegetation Management Plan (see Attachment E), would involve actively selecting for low -
growing native shrubs and trees. The visual character of the utility easement would be improved by taller,
more varied vegetation in place of featureless mowed areas.
However, please note that (1) the utility's easement does not include the right to prevent underlying
landowners from clearing their property, so the vegetation may vary from one property to the next; and (2)
some trees that currently stand between the utility lines and US 29 are likely to be removed, depending on
the exact clearances between the trees and the new transmission lines. It is difficult to predict the exact
outcome of vegetation changes over time. Regardless, staff believes that the gradual change from bare soil
and grass to shrubs and small trees will significantly improve the appearance of the utility easement.
The ARB voted 3:1 to forward a recommendation of no objection to the proposal with the condition that the
IVM plan include proactive management to promote:
1) Native Virginia meadows, low growing shrub landscapes, and native species pollinators in the
existing and proposed utility easement areas by suppressing forest succession, and
2) Lower growing trees, grasses, wildflowers, and other vegetation that is compatible with safety needs
and regulations and that is visually pleasing when viewed from the Entrance Corridor.
Staff has included this direction in the proposed conditions of approval.
Rural Areas:
Rural Area policies generally focus on protecting natural resources and protecting the viability of the
County's rural land for agriculture and forestry. This proposed upgrade minimizes impacts on the Rural
Areas by using an existing corridor rather than creating a new corridor that would fragment existing habitats
and create new water impacts.
SUMMARY:
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 5
After review of this request, staff have identified the following factors of this proposal which are favorable and
unfavorable:
Factors favorable to this request include:
1. The proposed upgrade would increase the reliability of electrical utility service to area residents.
2. Use of the existing corridor for the installation of a transmission line, rather than anew corridor, avoids new
land -cover and water impacts in the Rural Areas.
Factors unfavorable to this request include:
1. The pole -height increase necessary to carry the new transmission lines would increase the already significant
visual impacts of the utility poles on the US 29 Entrance Corridor. The recommended condition requiring
Integrated Vegetation Management would help to offset the visual impact by encouraging taller native
vegetation rather than mowed open areas in the utility corridor.
Based on the findings described in this report and factors identified as favorable, staff recommends approval of
special use permit application SP202000007 with the following conditions.
1. Development must be in general accord, as determined by the Director of Planning and the Zoning
Administrator, with the conceptual plan titled "Proposed 75' R/W Easement" shown on the plan titled
"Rappahannock Electric Cooperative Transmission Line Improvement - Special Use Permit Plans SP2020-
00007," prepared by Alan Franklin, PE, LLC, and dated February 18, 2020. At a minimum, to be in general
accord with the conceptual plan:
• Supporting structures for the electrical transmission lines must remain within the "Existing 40' R/W
Easement", as shown on the plan.
• All pole extensions added to the existing poles must be similar in color to the existing poles.
Minor modifications to the plan that do not conflict with the above elements may be made to ensure compliance
with the Zoning Ordinance.
2. Vegetation within the "Proposed 75' R/W Easement" must be managed according to an Integrated Vegetation
Management Plan in general accord with the draft plan titled "Integrated Vegetation Management Plan to
Accompany SUP 2020-00007", date December 11, 2020. Vegetation must include the following target
vegetation types:
• Native Virginia meadows, low growing shrub landscapes, and pollinator -friendly native species by
suppressing forest succession, and
• Lower -growing trees, grasses, wildflowers, and other vegetation compatible with safety needs and
regulations.
POSSIBLE PLANNING COMMISSION MOTIONS — SP201800007:
A. Should the Planning Commission choose to recommend approval of this special use permit:
I move to recommend approval of SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative with the conditions
outlined in the staff report.
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 6
B. Should the Planning Commission choose to recommend denial of this special use permit:
I move to recommend denial of SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative for (state reasons for
denial).
ATTACHMENTS:
Att. A — Location Map
Att. B — Application Materials: Project Narrative
Att. C — Application Materials: Conceptual Plan
Att. D — Application Material: Illustrations
Att. E — Application Material: Draft Integrated Vegetation Management Plan
Att. F — Public Comments
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Planning Commission: February 2, 2021
Page 7
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February 18, 2020
Rappahannock Electrical Cooperative
Special Use Permit Application SP 2020-000_
Project Narrative
PROJECT PROPOSAL
Summary of Proiect Proposal:
Rappahannock Electrical Cooperative ("REC") proposes to add an additional line above the existing
circuits on the existing utility line poles within the portion of its service territory in Albemarle County
along a 1.6-mile corridor along the southbound lanes of Route 29 north (the "Project"). The proposed
new 115 kilovolt line will provide system resiliency by allowing REC's existing substations to back feed
when outages occur on the current lines, which will enable REC to restore power to its members more
quickly. It will also help REC meet its members' needs for more power in the future. The additional line
would be installed by adding an extension or "pole topper" to the top of the existing REC poles. Because
this 115-kV line is technically a transmission line, a Special Use permit is required for the Project.
Tax Mao Parcel Numbers:
The existing REC lines in Albemarle County cross through the parcels listed below. For details on the
ownership of each parcel, please see the cover sheet of the enclosed plans prepared by Alan Franklin,
PC, entitled "Rappahannock Electrical Cooperative, Transmission Line Improvement, Special Use Permit
Plans."
02100-00-00-012D0
02100-00-00-01200
02100-00-00-01500
02100-00-00-015G0
02100-00-00-015B0
02100-00-00-016C0
02100-00-00-01600
02100-00-00-017C0
02100-00-00-017A0
02100-00-00-01900
02100-00-00-007A0
02100-00-00-007C0
02100-00-00-00700
02100-00-00-006A0
02100-00-00-006B0
02100-00-00-006D0
02100-00-00-006E2
02100-00-00-00611
02100-00-00-006H0
February 18,2020
PUBLIC NEED OR BENEFIT
Starting with President Roosevelt issuing an Executive Order in 1935, and Congress enacting the Rural
Electrification Act (the "REA") in 1936, the Federal government has provided support and funding for the
installation of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States through
federal loans to member -owned rural electric cooperatives. When the REA was enacted it was
challenging to install electricity in these remote rural areas due to the economics of the systems then
built in cities. These member -owned cooperatives were able to purchase power on a wholesale basis
for local transmission and distribution to their members on their own network of transmission and
distribution lines. By 1959 approximately 90% of US farms and rural homes had electricity compared to
only 3% at the time the REA was enacted in 1936.
Almost 100 years later, electric power is more vital now than at the time of passage of the REA.
Households and businesses alike rely on electric power for lighting and heating but also a myriad of
appliances and tools needed for activities ranging from the manufacturing production at GE-Fanuc, to
individual households engaged in elder care requiring special refrigerated medications or bio-medical
devices. Nearly every residential and business customer requires power to power smart phones and
computers. The REA has an 84-year track record of success with its mission to provide power to rural
communities.
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) also has a lengthy history in providing excellent service to its
nearly 170,000 connections to portions of 22 Virginia counties. The Cooperative was formed in 1980
after the consolidation of two cooperatives, Virginia Electric Cooperative in Bowling Green and Northern
Piedmont Electric Cooperative in Culpeper. REC operates and maintains more than 17,000 miles of
power lines through its service area, which ranges from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the tidal waters of
the Chesapeake Bay. The Cooperative serves a variety of residential, commercial and industrial
accounts, and the portion of its territory in Albemarle County is located in the northern edge of the
County adjacent to the Greene County line, as shown on Exhibit A.
REC is requesting to upgrade an existing line in the rural area at the northern end of Albemarle County
along Route 29. With increased customer demand and the more routine circumstances of extreme
weather, REC is planning for a new line to be placed above the existing circuits on the existing poles
along the 1.6-mile corridor within the Albemarle County portion of its territory. This new line of 115kV
will provide system resiliency by allowing the substations to back feed when outages occur on the
current lines. It will also help this network meet the needs for more power in the future. The REC
network system serves over 2,000 Members in Albemarle County however, the project line installation
affects a 1.6-mile long pole network from Dickerson Road north to the County line adjoining Greene
County. The Project's proposed alignment, along an existing line, will mitigate the need to disturb any
areas beyond the existing utility corridor, while meeting current and future power demands. See the
project vicinity along the existing utility corridor on Exhibit B.
The REC system only touches a small region of Albemarle County, but it is an important segment in
connecting Albemarle, Orange, Greene, and Madison Counties to the larger REC network (which
includes a total of 22 Counties and 165,000 connections). It is also a key energy supplier to several of the
County's larger business operations — GE Intelligent Platform Systems, MicroAire, a portion of the UVA
Research Park and the Federal Government's Rivanna Station. By installing a line vertically above the
existing lines, REC can add power supply and decrease downtime from outages, while having the least
impact to the natural environment and rural areas. This is due to REC planning some time ago to
enhance the system with the 115kV line. Plan implementation began in 2009 with the replacement of
February 18, 2020
wooden poles with stronger metal poles. The stronger poles can support all three circuits at a height
that has minimal impact on the highway corridor.
While the REA and REC goals to provide power to the Cooperative members in rural areas are currently
being met, this project will assure continued success in years to come. The proposed project to "Go Up"
the current poles will create the needed capacity with little to no impact on the corridor aesthetics or to
the environmental features along the 1.6-mile segment. Half of the existing 40-foot easement is on the
roadway side, overlapping the VDOT right-of-way, the other half of this 40-foot easement is on private
property with 17.5 feet of additional easement required to accommodate the new line.
REC provides needed electric power in its service district of over 2,000 customers in the northern
section of the County of Albemarle. When built, the new line will more efficiently meet the needs of
current REC and future business customers located in the County's designated development areas,
including GE Intelligent Platform Systems, MicroAire, Rivanna Station, a portion of the UVA Research
Park, and any new development in the area requiring available and reliable REC power supply. The
Places 29 Master Plan designates a large area north of Rivanna Station for development, and the Project
also would address the need for consistently reliable power in that area.
The Project not only provides more power in this Piney Mountain area, but also addresses system
resiliency. If a line goes down due to ice accumulation, or other natural occurrences, the higher voltage
line can be used to connect to a substation and get the power to the area experiencing the outage in
minutes instead having to wait for repairs made by a repair team. This new line will provide backfeed
capacity to help the system endure in periods of high demand and/or severe weather impacts. This
portion of the REC system is served by two separate substations, Gordonsville and Profitt. If one
experiences an outage, this proposed line can access power from the other Substation, creating a
backfeed solution. See Exhibit C, Project Overview: Project Location.
The project will include the construction activity of adding "pole toppers" to each of the existing poles
and installing the higher voltage 115kV circuit along this 1.6-mile corridor. The existing steel poles would
remain in place and an additional pole segment will be installed on the top of these poles to carry the
new 115-kV line. See Exhibit D, Project Overview: Structural Drawing, and Exhibit E Project Overview:
Before and After.
The height of the poles will increase from the current average height of 46 feet to the new average
height of 82 feet, as shown in more detail in a chart attached as Exhibit F, Rivanna to Preddy Creek
Poles.
The addition of this third circuit will require a wider easement on either side of the pole, from 40 feet to
75 feet, a net increase 35 feet or 17.5 feet on either side of the current easement, as shown in detail on
the Special Use Permit Plans.
CONSISTENCY WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Electric power is a necessary element of any community, providing electric lighting, appliance power,
heating, air conditioning, and computer support to households and businesses alike. It is also important
for agricultural and other rural enterprises and uses. It can be augmented by other sources of renewable
energy, such as solar and wind energy. All of these are tied together by an electric power system of
distribution. This project is to be owned by the REC Member -owners. The project will benefit the 2000
REC members in Albemarle County. While not called out in the Comprehensive plan under Chapter 12.1
February 18, 2020
Community Facilities, electric power is the backbone of community facility service delivery (schools,
police, fire & rescue). For example, REC electric power provides lighting to the Preddy Creek park natural
area. Schools and student instruction depend on children in these rural areas having access to electric
power. EMS services also rely on accessing electric power to serve their patients within the Project area
as well.
Under the Comprehensive Plan Chapter 8, Development Areas, the primary goal is stated as follows,
Albemarle's Development Areas will be vibrant active places with attractive neighborhoods, high quality,
mixed -use areas, thriving business and industry, all supported by services, infrastructure, and multimodal
transportation networks.
This goal cannot be achieved without adequate electric power supply. Several of the County's major
employers, such as GE Intelligent Platform Systems, MicroAire and the US government's Rivanna
Station, as well as the UVA Research Park, are affected by this power supply and will benefit from the
Project. Loss of power can reduce these respective operations' ability to thrive in the future as each
potentially grow their businesses or employment levels. Other communities already have built-in
electric power resiliency to better sustain these kinds of operations. With power system resiliency,
Albemarle County can sustain its current employer operations and also compete for other economic
development opportunities that request and always require two power sources that this Project will
provide. Without power system resiliency, the County economy might face the possibility of these jobs
moving away from Central Virginia, and the County will continue to miss economic development
opportunities that have opted not to locate in Albemarle since it lacks such a resilient system.
This also affects similar goals stated in Chapter 6— Economic Development. The Economic Development
Comprehensive Plan Goal is for
"Albemarle's economy will be diverse, strong, and sustainable, and retain and benefit County citizens,
existing businesses, and new local ventures."
Without resilient electric power, the three major business operations in this portion of the County - GE,
Rivanna Station, and UVA Research Park - may lose jobs and ability to compete in the global economy.
Without these jobs, Albemarle County's diversity is diminished rather than sustained. New job growth
and other business expansion is unlikely to occur as planned in the neighborhood surrounding Rivanna
Station, without a long-term commitment to reliable electric power.
Rural Areas Plan
All but two of the parcels in the Project are located in the Rural Area. Most fundamentally, the Rural
Areas Plan promotes healthy rural and agricultural communities. The Project is consistent with the goals
of the Rural Area Plan in that REC's system enhancement will support the agricultural and residential
uses that are permitted in the Rural Areas by ensuring reliable and resilient electricity.
The Project is also consistent with the objectives of the Rural Area, given that it represents the least
environmentally disruptive method of making necessary enhancements to REC's power lines. As such,
the Project helps protect the surrounding "rural and historic landscapes that enhance the visitor's
experience" in the Rural Area by modifying an existing power line corridor rather than creating a new
one.
February 18, 2020
Places29 Master Plan
The two parcels located in the Development Area, which are discussed in greater detail in the
Neighborhood Model section below, are designated for Office / R & D / Flex / Light Industrial uses in the
Places29 Master Plan. This designation describes industrial uses of a low impact, other than increased
traffic. See page 4-6 of the Places29 Master Plan. The existing substation has a low impact and the
Project will not change the existing impacts or create new traffic in the development area. Accordingly,
the Project is consistent with the Places29 Master Plan.
Principles of the Neiehborhood Model
The County's Neighborhood Model Principles apply to neighborhood developments located in one of
the Development Areas designated in the County's Comprehensive Plan. The County's Neighborhood
Model Principles promote "innovative design tools for creating more urban livable neighborhoods."
Albemarle County, The Neighborhood Model, page 5. Because the Project is located almost entirely in
the Rural Areas (other than the parcels owned by REC and GE), and is an infrastructure project rather
than a development project, most of these principles are not applicable. Nevertheless, as requested by
staff, below is an analysis of the Project's consistency with the Neighborhood Model Principles:
The Project involves a total of 19 parcels, 2 of which make up the northernmost portion of the Piney
Mountain-Places29 Development Area. The portion of the Project lying within the Development Area is
very small relative to the overall project, given the acreage of the remaining 17 parcels. The
Neighborhood Model Principles thus apply to that very small portion of the Project, located on a portion
of two parcels.
In particular, the portions of Parcels 21-12 and 21-12D that front U.S. 29 are the only areas in the Project
for which consistency with the Neighborhood Model Principles is directly relevant. Parcel 21-12D is
owned by the Applicant and is the current site of the REC Rivanna substation. Given the existing use of
Parcel 21-12D, and this application, redevelopment of this parcel to any other use is unlikely. Parcel 12-
12- is vacant land zoned for Light Industry and owned by GE Intelligent Platforms, Inc. It is possible that
an applicant could pursue a redevelopment of this parcel in the future to a different zoning district, in
which case these Principles would apply. Below is our analysis of the Project's consistency with the
applicable Neighborhood Model Principles:
1. Pedestrian Orientation
The Project does not prevent adjacent buildings and development that may be proposed on TMP 21-12
in the future from having a pedestrian orientation. This principle is not applicable to the remaining 17
parcels, since those parcels are in the Rural Areas and the Project is merely a utility infrastructure
enhancement.
2. Neighborhood Friendly Streets and Paths
Likewise, this principle is not applicable to this Project. This is a utility infrastructure enhancement
project that does not propose any streets or paths. In addition, the Applicant is an easement holder and
does not have the right to create paths or streets within its easement area, nor are any proposed.
February 18, 2020
3. Interconnected Streets and Transportation Networks
Not applicable. The Project does not propose change the existing street network, or otherwise impact
the street network in any way.
4. Parks and Open Space
Not applicable. This is a utility infrastructure enhancement project, and does not impact any parks or
designated open space. However, the maintained land within the REC easement area can somewhat
function as open space since buildings and other structures other than the existing poles and utility
improvements are not permitted within that area.
5. Neighborhood Centers
While not located in a neighborhood center, the Project will provide improvements to the electrical
infrastructure system and supply that supports existing and future neighborhood centers in the adjacent
designated development area that comprises the REC service territory.
6. Buildings and Spaces of Human Scale
No new buildings or structure are proposed in the Project, merely the extension of existing poles to
accommodate the necessary infrastructure improvements. Nothing about the Project will preclude the
properties from developing consistent with this principle in the future if applicable.
7. Relegated Parking
This is not applicable, as the Project does not propose any new parking areas. Other than existing
parking for service vehicles at the substation on Parcel 21-12D, the Project does not propose any parking
spaces. The existing parking is relegated.
B. Mixture of Uses
This is not applicable, as the Project is merely an infrastructure enhancement project. However, the
Project will not limit or impact the potential uses of the underlying parcels. The owners of the relevant
parcels may continue to pursue such mixture of uses as allowed by the County's Comprehensive Plan
and Zoning Ordinance.
9. Mixture of Housing Types and Affordability
Not applicable, as no dwelling units are proposed.
10. Redevelopment
Not entirely applicable. However, to the extent one considers the adaptive use of existing power poles
for the infrastructure enhancement and system improvements instead of creating a new utility corridor
just for this 115kv line as redevelopment, the Project satisfies this principle.
February 18, 2020
11. Site Planning That Respects Terrain
The Project will not involve any grading, since it will utilize existing poles that were previously designed
and constructed in anticipation of the future installation of the third line, such that no new construction
or site work will be required to accommodate the pole extension/topper.
12. Clear Boundaries with the Rural Areas
The proposed transmission line is permitted by SUP in all zoning districts, without regard for whether
the parcels are located in the development areas or the rural areas. The Project is merely a utility
enhancement project, and does not introduce any change the use of the land
IMPACTS ON PUBLIC FACILITIES AND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
Completing the loop between the Proffit and Gordonsville Substations will improve resiliency, enabling
REC to restore power supply in minutes as opposed to hours or days in the event of extreme weather or
other system damages. In the past six (6) years there have been several major extreme weather events
that caused outages for extensive periods of time, including the following:
• July 2012 Derecho
• April 2018 Nor'easter
• September 2018 Hurricane Florence, which caused prolonged outages in southern Virginia.
Hurricane Florence could have substantially impacted Central Virginia if weather patterns had
manifested in a slightly different direction.
During a March 2018 event, there was an outage on the portion of REC's existing 115-kV line in
Albemarle County between the Proffit and Rivanna Substations (refer to Exhibit Q and the entire area
was out of power for close to 5 hours. Had there been an alternate source for this 115-kV line, it could
have automatically transferred over to its alternate source in minutes with almost no outage time at all.
Considering the increasing amount of extreme weather occurrences this area has seen in the last few
years, having resilient systems would vastly decrease the time it takes to re -energize REC members. REC
currently has a total customer base of over 170,000 services. Transmission line outages of 115 kV and
above are not a "typical" occurrence; however, an outage of a transmission voltage line normally takes
longer to restore than one of distribution voltage and affects many more Members, thus making the
outage much more widespread. This 115-kV project segment connecting to REC's Rivanna Substation
serves over 4,000 REC members, of which approximately 2,000 are located in Albemarle County. These
members are a mix of both residential and commercial accounts (which also includes agricultural
accounts).
The Project will not create any additional transportation impacts, as other than during the installation
period, no additional vehicular trips will be generated in connection with the Project. And unlike most
residential, commercial, and industrial projects, the REC Project will have no impacts of any kind on
school capacity, the public water and sewer systems, parks and recreational resources, or create
demands on any other County facilities or departments, such as libraries, police and fire departments, or
other public infrastructure and facilities.
February 18, 2020
IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES
The existing poles were designed and installed in 2009 to accommodate this 115-kV line in the future.
The corridor lies in the rural area of Albemarle, except the one REC-owned parcel (TMP 21-12D), and
follows along the Route 29 right of way to the County line. Effectively, the project will involve placing
one circuit higher above the two lines already in place. No additional construction work or earth
disturbance will be required to add the pole extensions and the additional line, for all such construction
took place when the new poles were installed in 2009. The poles will not be relocated, nor will native
vegetation, steep slopes, or stream buffers be affected in between the poles. Additional easement land
will be needed to accommodate the 115kV line. This will include some tree removal within the
additional easement area to allow for routine maintenance and emergency repairs, as well as to keep
tree lines from touching the new line and causing safety problems. REC will foster Virginia native
meadow growth in the expanded easement area. A review of the County aerial footage shows the
utility line corridor not having impact on critical environmental features.
By simply placing a pole on top of the existing pole along the existing utility corridor, the project will not
require or cause any earth disturbance, thus the project has no impact on any existing environmental
features along the corridor. Construction staging will be handled by the general contractor hired by REC,
however the most likely staging area will be the REC-owned parcel TMP 21-12D at the intersection of
Dickerson Road and Route 29,
Water Protection Ordinance Stream buffers. By simply placing a pole on top of the existing pole
along the corridor, the project will not cause any impact to the stream buffer. GIS web shows
three streams in the vicinity of the corridor line: 1) the North segment of Herring Branch, 2) just
north of Short Rock Road and Route 29, 3) the residence at 4886 Seminole Trail. The REC Poles
are located outside of these stream buffers, according to the 2013 One -Foot ortho-photography,
and thus the project has no impact on any stream buffers.
Historic districts. The existing Project corridor is not within any state, local or federal historic
district, and thus will not have any impact on any historic districts or resources.
Mountain Protection areas. The existing Project corridor line is outside of the County's
Mountain Protection Areas, and thus has no impact on any mountain resources.
In addition, REC is a Rural Utility Services (RUS) borrower and, thus must adhere to all RUS federal
agency rules and guidelines for capital projects such as installing this 115-kV line. One of these rules is
to complete a Borrower's Environmental Review (BER), or also known as an Environmental Review (ER),
for all construction projects before work can begin. This BER or ER consists of contacting all State and
National environmental agencies to determine if any permit, or permits, are required. REC will comply
with all applicable State and Federal environmental regulations as part of the construction of adding
these pole toppers and installing the higher 115-kV line.
The REC System Enhancement project provides system resiliency to support its members, including
several of the County's major employers. The proposed approach of existing the height of existing poles
along an established utility corridor has the least impact to the environment and related systems (steep
slopes, water systems, and native vegetation). The benefits are significant to not only the members who
will be able to rely on consistent electric power well into the future, but also the County, as a whole, by
supporting the needs of the existing major employers mentioned previously. It also serves the needs of
the residences and agricultural operations in this area, providing safe and reliable power in the event of
February 18, 2020
an emergency. It meets the needs of a greater system, bringing REC system elements from Greene,
Madison, and Orange to support this area in Albemarle County.
Description of the Construction Process:
As requested by the pre -application materials, we provide the following summary of the construction
process. The additional easement area will be cleared of trees and limbs overhanging into the easement
area. The stumps and tree roots will be left in place. Then the General Contractor that REC hires will
bring each pole topper/extension from the construction staging area using either a line truck or a crane
to the pole location. The General Contractor will install the equipment on the pole extension while it is
on the ground within the easement area. Then the Contractor will use a line truck or crane to install the
pole extension on the top of the existing pole. The Contractor will then install new conductors on the
pole extension by pulling them through rollers attached to the newly installed pole extension. Then the
new conductors would be attached to the insulators on the poles. This work will all take place within
the easement area (a portion of which will include the VDOT right-of-way along Route 29). Again, no
new earth disturbance or grading is required or planned as part of the Project.
Special Use Permit Criteria:
How the special use will not be a substantial detriment to adjacent parcels:
The Special Use Permit to extend pole height will not be detrimental to adjacent lots. REC's existing and
future Members will be able to rely on a more consistent power supply and shorter periods of power
outage. The pole locations will not change. The higher height will require an additional 17.5 feet of
easement area on the west side for periodic pole and electric power line maintenance. The additional
easement on the east side overlaps with the VDOT right-of-way. The existing lines will remain in place
below the proposed 115-kV line. The Project will not generate any additional traffic, noise, dust, fumes,
or other adverse impacts. The extension of the existing poles in the same location is not expected to
cause a substantial detriment to adjacent parcels. The diameter of the existing poles will not increase,
and no additional reinforcement of the pole foundations are required or planned. There will be no
construction impacts due to the use of the existing poles, and the pole topper extensions are the only
structures required for the Project.
How the character of the zoning district will not be changed by the proposed special use
A utility corridor with monopoles and power lines already exists in this area. Increasing the height of
these poles as proposed in the existing corridor will not change the character of the area or the rural
areas zoning district. The project is in the County Entrance Corridor along westside of Route 29. The
existing poles have a history going back to at least 1977 when the Northern Piedmont Electric
Cooperative purchased this line and substation from Virginia Power. This pre -dates the County's
Entrance Corridor policy and overlay zoning district, as well as the creation of the County's designated
development areas. These poles were built to serve both the rural and urban areas by connecting to a
larger system grid. Furthermore, the proposed Project will not reduce any access to agricultural or
forestal lands within the corridor. By contrast, the Project will substantially benefit all of the uses
permitted in the Rural Areas zoning district, thus supporting the district's character.
Although the increase in the height of the existing poles will potentially increase visibility, the use of the
existing poles and existing long-established utility corridor will help to limit visual impacts. If REC instead
elected to create a new utility corridorjust for the 115kv line, far more impacts would be crated within
February 18, 2020
the area and the RA zoning district. A new corridor would require far more tree clearing, easement
acquisitions, and likely impacts on sensitive environmental features such as critical slopes and stream
buffers, and would require substantial grading and earth disturbance. The modest increase in pole
height and corresponding visibility is minimal compared to the impact that a new utility corridor would
have on the area and on the Entrance Corridor.
REC upgraded the poles and circuits in 2009, designing this pole foundations to support and otherwise
accommodate a future third line above the two existing lines without the need to further reinforce the
pole foundations or to increase the diameter of the poles. These poles are also in Greene County and
Counties where there is already a 115-kV segment in place without changing the pole diameter and with
limited ground disturbance.
For line maintenance, the project will impact an added 17.5-foot easement from the current western
edge of the Utility easement. The eastern 17.5-foot added easement will coincide with the VDOT right-
of-way. As such, any landscaping desired by individual property owners must be compatible with
VDOT's clear zone regulations and general highway safety vehicular traffic movement. REC will work
with individual property owners on landscaping preferences on their properties, with a preference to
enhance native species - Virginia meadow habitat. The rural road character will remain the same along
the corridor.
How the special use will be in harmony with the following:
The purpose and intent of the Zoning Ordinance. The proposed REC electric utility line meets the
purpose and intent of the following sections of the Zoning Ordinance:
o Section 1.4(Q Facilitate creating a convenient attractive and harmonious community,,
o Section 1.4(D): Facilitate providing adequate police and fire protection, disaster
evacuation, civil defense, transportation, water, sewerage, flood protection, schools,
parks, forests, playgrounds, recreational facilities, airports and other public
requirements;
o Section 1.4(G): Encourage economic development activities that provide desirable
employment and enlarge the tax base;
o Section 10.1: Purpose and Intent of the RA Zoning District:
• The Project will preserve agricultural forest lands and activities
• The Project will preserve and protect the water supply
• The Project will provide enhanced electrical service to the nearby designated
development areas and to the rural areas at no cost to the County
• The Project will conserve the natural, scenic, and historic resources of the area
by avoiding any impacts on sensitive areas, minimizing any increased visibility as
a result of the extension of the pole height (especially as compared to the visual
impact created by a new separate utility corridorjust for this 115kv line), and
avoiding impacts on any historic resources
10
February 18, 2020
o Section 5.1.12 — Public Utility Structures/Uses:
• Since 115kV is categorized as a "transmission line," it is only permitted by
Special Use Permit approval. It is important to note that while this is categorized
as a "transmission activity" due to the 115kV power level; in fact, it does not
meet the State code definition as "providing wholesale power distribution."
Instead, this new line will only serve its direct Members and complete the
connection to other REC regions and counties for power system reliability and
resiliency. This power line's 115kV segment will connect the 2000 homes and
businesses in the northern portion of the County to the two closest substations
for more resilient power. Resiliency in this context indicates the speed at which
power is restored and connected to another power source during an outage.
The 115kV line will act to bring power back to this area much more quickly than
the current system, e.g., within minutes versus what could be several days, as
was experienced following the 2012 Derecho.
• Uses permitted by right in the zoning district. Public utilities are in harmony with and supportive
of agricultural and residential uses in the district. Electric utility lines are allowed by right in the
Rural areas, however as stated above, voltage of 115kV is considered a transmission line by
County of Albemarle zoning code and requires a special use permit.
Regulations provided in Section S of the Zoning Ordinance as applicable. There do not appear to
be any regulations within Section 5.1.12 of the Zoning Ordinance that apply to this project of
adding an electric utility top to an existing electric utility line, since no new use is proposed and
no earth disturbing activity is proposed, and no river crossing are proposed.
Public health, safety and general welfare. The 115-kV line will be placed above the existing
circuits, overhead at a height such that it will have no impact on activities at ground level. The
additional 17.5-foot wide easement will ensure no impact from routine maintenance or
emergency repairs. The third line will assure that system segments can be restored quickly in
the event of an outage and that there is adequate infrastructure to meet the needs of this
geographic area in years to come, as development occurs in the Piney Mountain development
area. The additional system will address both the growing demand for electric power, as well as
provide a back-up source of power to the currently served area when severe weather occurs.
This 1.6-mile segment will complete a larger loop feed, and extend from the existing Proffit
substation, over 30 miles to the Gordonsville substation, through four counties: Albemarle,
Greene, Madison, and Orange. It will connect to seven substations and more than 9,300-
member accounts. The Project will have significant positive impacts by providing consistent and
resilient power supply to mitigate possible disruption from adverse weather. With this system
enhancement, REC can backfeed against power outages in this vicinity.
System History
Originally fed by the Piney Mountain Delivery Point from Virginia Power's Hollymead Substation
on Route 29, this delivery point served Northern Piedmont Electric Cooperative (NPEC), now
REC, via three miles of 34.5 kV distribution line and a small substation located on Route 29 in
Greene County (Dunnes Substation). In 1977, NPEC purchased this line and substation from
Virginia Power. In the early 1990's, both the Proffit and Rivanna Substations wcrc built, along
11
February 18, 2020
with the 115-kV transmission line between the two stations. In 2010, in order to prevent
overloading due to the proposed growth in Rivanna Station and Boulders Road neighborhood,
this line was rebuilt for more capacity with the ability to add a 115-kV circuit on top in the
future. The history of REC includes several milestones to reach its current territory size which
includes 22 Virginia counties:
1935 Farmers Rural Utilities organized as Virginia's first non-profit utility corporation.
1936 Farmers Rural Utilities energizes the first Rural Electrification Administration
(REA) financed line in Virginia and on the East Coast, serving 73 member -owners.
1938 Northern Piedmont Electric Cooperative (NPEC) formed at a meeting in the Town
of Culpeper. Farmers Rural Utilities reorganizes into Virginia Electric Cooperative
(VEC).
1939 NPEC energizes its first REA-financed line in Brightwood.
1980 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) formed after the consolidation of VEC
and NPEC.
2010 REC becomes Virginia's largest electric cooperative and the third largest utility in
Virginia after acquiring 51,000 new members from the former Virginia based
investor -owned utility Allegheny Power.
2013 REC celebrates 75 years and serves over 157,000 connections across 16,000
miles of power lines in portions of 22 counties.
2020 REC now has more than 170,000 services with almost 17,500 miles of power
lines in portions of 22 counties.
List of Exhibits:
Exhibit A: REC TerritoryMap
Exhibit B: Project Location Map
Exhibit C: Project Overview: Project Location
Exhibit D: Project Overview: Structural Drawing
Exhibit E: Project Overview: Before and After
Exhibit F: Rivanna to Preddy Creek Poles
41981816_3
12
February 18, 2020
Exhibit A:
REC'% Territory Map
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Sicowd
S
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--C.-
13
February 18, 2020
CHRIS NF Rn,
GREEHE q4,,4
�P
Exhibit B:
VICINITY MAP:
_a
•n .aps ik,i�Ya, w� �ys � ill
PROJECT
CORRIDOR`
14
February 18, 2020
Exhibit C•
Project Overview: Project Location
N1501 Pratts
&l2kv 3slw , Substation
A5�� is
1 7
m
��t5tifi35kv i.� >>r
Preddy Creek
Substation Gordonsville
p Substation
Rivanna
•?, (connection to transmission grid)
a Substation s
O� 1� 6 n
ro
c
'.rl.
ro >> c
v;
f Proffit Substation
(connection to transmission grid)
February 18, 2020
Exhibit D:
Project Overview: Structural Drawing
AVERAGE STRUCTURE
HEIGHT = 85'
>
17.5'
ADDITIONAL
EASEMENT
(mainly VDOT)
AVERAGE
ADDITIONAL 35'
AVERAGE 50'
EXISTING STRUCTURE
HEIGHT
GROUND LEVEL
~i 45
20' 20' 17.5'
EXISTING EXISTING ADDITIONAL
EASEMENT EASEMENT EASEMENT
February 18, 2020
Exhibit E:
Project Overview: Before and After
I
February 18, 2020
Exhibit F:
Rivanna to Preddy Creek Pales
Rivanna to Predddy Creek Poles
Str. #
Pole Length
Setting Depth
Total Pole Height
Pole Top Sections
Bottom Section Heights
2-1
55
7.5
47.5
47.5
0
2-2
55
7.5
47.5
47.5
0
2-3
55
7.5
47.5
47.5
0
2
100
12
88
3S
53
3
105
12.5
92.5
35
57.5
4
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
5
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
6
90
11
79
35
44
7
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
8
110
13
97
35
62
9
90
11
79
35
44
10
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
11
85
10.5
74.5
35
39.5
12
90
11
79
35
44
13
90
11
79
35
44
14
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
15
90
11
79
35
44
16
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
17
90
11
79
35
44
18
100
12
88
35
53
19
100
12
88
35
53
20
100
12
88
35
53
21
105
12.5
92.5
40
52.5
22
110
13
97
40
57
23
105
12.5
92.5
40
52.5
24
100
12
88
35
53
25
100
12
88
40
48
26
90
11
79
35
44
27
110
13
97
35
62
28
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
29
100
12
88
35
53
30
90
11
79
35
44
31
100
12
88
35
53
32
95
11.5
83.5
35
48.5
Total Pole Height
2789.5
1542
Total # of Str.
34 1
1
34
Average Heights
82 1
1
45
,Ian Franklin PE, LLC,
RAPPAHANNOCK ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
TRANSMISSION LINE IMPROVEMENT
SPECIAL USE PERMIT PLANS
SP2020-00007
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
VICINITY MAP: PROJECT DATA:
SCALE: 1" = 2,000'
APPLICANT:
nEENE
L RAPPAHANNOCK ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Ys Mill Rd �z1 F"��ztE P.O. BOX 7388
FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22404
CONTACT:
LEE BROCK
�O co MANAGER OF ENGINEERING AND POWER SUPPLY
PROJECT LBROCK@MYREC.COOP
(540)891-5811
CORRIDO� 'CO
SURVEY SOURCE:
ALBEMARLE COUNTY GIS &
71e,`AS-BUILT DRAWINGS PREPARED BY POWERTEK
ENGINEERING LLC (08-09-2011)
(770)209-9119
1"°1DATUM:
n�2 VERTICAL: NAVD88
3v°^ICef1 "�� HORIZONTAL: NAD83
DRINKING WATER WATERSHED:
((, .
NONE
NF
GRE
LAKE R/�gNyq TAX MAP/PARCEL #:
LAKE
2000ft "p SEE TABLE BELOW
RAPPAHANNOCK ELECTRICAL COOPERATIVE - SPECIAL USE PERMIT - ENCUMBERED PARCELS (AS OF 2-17-2020)
PARCEL NUMBER
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
OWNER NAME
OWNER'S MAILING ADDRESS
DEED BOOK / INST #
ZONING
02100-00-00-012DO
5045 DICKERSON RD
RAPPAHANNOCK ELECTRIC CORP
5045 DICKERSON ROAD, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
NONE LISTED
RA
02100-00-00-01200
NONE LISTED
GE INTELLIGENT PLATFORMS INC
P 0 BOX4900, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85261
4281/241
RA
02100-00-00-01500
NONE LISTED
EDWARD LEROY HAWN (by Deed of Confirmation and Will)
3911 IDLEWOOD ACRES RD, HICKORY, NC 28601 (still same)
1486/742
RA
02100-00-00-015GO
4886 SEMINOLE TRL
JAMES LEE HERRING OR BONNIE LEE HERRING
4886 SEMINOLE TRAIL, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22911
4613/34 (TO JAMES),
762/476 (TO BONNIE LEE)
RA
02100-00-00-015BO
4912 SEMINOLE TRL
M. CLIFTON MCCLURE (TRUSTEE) & ROBERT M. CALLAGHAN
(TRUSTEE)
P 0 BOX5548, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
1521/162
RA
02100-00-00-016CO
NONE LISTED
M. CLIFTON MCCLURE (TRUSTEE) & ROBERT M. CALLAGHAN
(TRUSTEE)
P 0 BOX5548, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
1521/162
RA
02100-00-00-01600
5145 DICKERSON RD
CHARLOTTESVILLE DISTRICT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
914 E JEFFERSON ST, SUITE 104, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22902-5376
3509/575
RA
02100-00-00-017CO
4972 SEMINOLE TRL
PHILLIP HANEY
5214 DICKERSON RD, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
2087/326
RA
02100-00-00-017AO
5046 SEMINOLE TRL
VTL INVESTMENTS LLC
5539 AMICUS ROAD, RUCKERSVILLE, VIRGINIA 22969
5111/388
RA
02100-00-00-01900
NONE LISTED
ROBERT RAY MESSICK
3989 PEACH ORCHARD RD, MCCONNELLSBURG, PA 17233
1091/133; WB113/571;
DB 145/390;
RA
02100-00-00-007AO
NONE LISTED
ROBERT RAY MESSICK
3989 PEACH ORCHARD RD, MCCONNELLSBURG, PA 17233
1091/133
RA
02100-00-00-007CO
2831 FRAYS MILL RD
MARIE M. MYERS
7312 WAVERLY DRIVE, WARRENTON, VA 20186-7655
4955/198
RA
02100-00-00-00700
NONE LISTED
MARIE M. MYERS
7312 WAVERLY DRIVE, WARRENTON, VA 20186-7655
4955/198
RA
02100-00-00-006AO
2880 HILL TOP VIEW LN
IRENE C. D'GAMA
102 PROVIDENCE ROAD, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
5214/757
RA
02100-00-00-006BO
2911 SHORT ROCK RD
LAUREN GAMA PROPERTIES LLC
102 PROVIDENCE ROAD, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
4595/232
RA
02100-00-00-006DO
5532 SEMINOLE TRL
DAVID GEORGE KULUND
5532 SEMINOLE TRAIL, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22911
5099/69
RA
02100-00-00-006E2
2907 HILL TOP VIEW LN
WILLIAM E. RINER OR LINDA L. RINER
2907 HILL TOP VIEW LANE, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22911
1502/382
RA
02100-00-00-00611
5548 SEMINOLE TRL
GARY A. HOWIE
2883 SEMINOLE TRAIL, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA 22901
2653/710
RA
02100-00-00-006HO
2978 GREENE EDGE LN
BORDERLINE LLC (note: new owner as of September, 2019)
PO BOX8183 CHARLOTTESVILLE VA, 22906
4327/307
RA
Civil and Site Plan Engineering
427 Cranberry Lane Crozet, VA 22932
434-531-5544
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Project Overview:
Before and After
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Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Integrated Vegetation Management Plan
to Accompany SUP 2020-00007
December 11, 2020
This Integrated Vegetation Management Plan (this "IVM Plan") is prepared by Rappahannock
Electric Cooperative ("REC") in connection with its proposed 115 kV transmission line in
Albemarle County.
Background:
Unmanaged vegetation growing near power lines can damage electric facilities and cause
problems with public safety, power supply, access, emergency service restoration, security, and
lines of sight. It can also compromise compliance with environmental, legal, regulatory, and
other requirements. Vegetation interference with power lines is one of the most common
causes of electrical outages, as it can cause electric service interruptions when it contacts or
comes sufficiently close to overhead high -voltage conductors to create an arc. Vegetation and
conductors can come too close together when they are blown into one another by high wind or
when lines stretch and sag due to high temperatures or heavy snow or ice buildup. Trees may
also provide access for children and others to lines, potentially resulting in contacts that can
cause serious injury or death.
In light of the effect that tree -power line conflicts can have on public safety and service
reliability, utilities are required to control vegetation growing in proximity to electric facilities.
Proper vegetation management along utility rights -of -way ("ROW') is particularly essentially for
avoiding problems attributed to poorly managed vegetation and overgrowth
Integrated Vegetation Management ("IVM") is a practice of promoting desirable, stable, low -
growing plant communities that will resist invasion by tall growing tree species, through the use
of appropriate, environmentally sound and cost-effective control methods. IVM strategies are
both integrative and site -specific and can reduce the environmental impacts on land, water,
habitat and wildlife, and reduce environmental and human health risks in a more effective, safe,
and cost-effective manner.
Objectives
REC's objectives in this IVM Plan are:
Implement environmentally sound, cost-effective control of vegetative species that
potentially conflict with REC's electric facilities and infrastructure, while promoting
compatible, early successional, sustainable plant communities which have myriad
environmental, health, and social benefits.
• Prevent outages caused by vegetation. Execute a proactive approach to prevent and
reduce exposure to tree -caused power outages that balance all other Objectives.
• Maintain access for its employees and contractors to safely carry out maintenance and
repairs within the ROW, and minimize injuries due to slips, trips, and falls.
• Facilitate prompt and safe restoration of electric service during emergencies and
outages
• Protect its infrastructure (including poles, wires, and transformers, among others).
• Proactively manage to promote native Virginia meadows, low growing shrub landscapes,
and native species pollinators in the existing and proposed utility easement areas by
suppressing forest succession.
• Promote lower growing trees, certain amounts of brush, grasses, wildflowers, and other
compatible vegetation that is compatible with safety needs and regulations, and that is
visually pleasing when viewed from the Entrance Corridor.
Site Evaluation:
After managing this portion of its territory for many years, REC is very familiar with the site
characteristics and conditions, which vary along the 1.6-mile span of the project. Some areas
are wooded, some are developed with private residences and associated lawns and accessory
structures, others are developed with small businesses and associated improvements such as
buildings and parking lots. One parcel includes a house of worship and areas that are wooded
and others that are open.
There is a variety of Virginia upland mixed hardwoods, with excellent growing site conditions
(excellent soil, drainage, and water). REC has assessed the height of its poles and lines,
density of stems per acre, species, voltage, loading, and other site conditions.
Trees adjacent to the line will be pruned based on projected growth which varies dramatically
depending on species. For example, a maple tree may grow six to ten feet per year on a
favorable site, while a cedar tree may only grow six inches.
Trees within the right-of-way will be allowed to remain if they are low growing, compatible
species such as redbuds, dogwoods, winterberry, serviceberry, etc. Trees that are incompatible,
such as yellow -poplars, oaks, maples and other "timber -sized" species will be removed every
five years. In addition, trees outside the right-of-way may be periodically assessed for health
and vigor and selectively removed if they are found to be potentially dangerous.
Some of the areas that currently have a "tunnel' effect created by trees that hang partially over
Rt. 29, will be more open and be more visually pleasing after the vista is created between the
road and new tree canopy line.
2
Based on this site evaluation, REC has determined that a five-year maintenance cycle is
appropriate, along with a mid -cycle hazard tree inspection. The mid -cycle inspection will assess
whether any hazardous situations have developed since the maintenance was carried out, and
provide an opportunity to conduct appropriate remedial action to correct those situations. REC
has a fiduciary responsibility to its member owners to minimize expenses associated with
maintenance cycles, but the site characteristics of the project area are such that there is the
potential for hazards to develop in less than five years. The mid -cycle assessment is designed
to reduce these hazard risks.
Action Thresholds
Action thresholds for this project area are as follows:
Any plant species that has an ability to attain a height of 10 feet will be treated and/or
removed at the time of the 5-year maintenance cycle.
This clearance height will be sufficient to prevent flashover between trees and
conductors, considering the combined movement of vegetation and conductors in
high wind and sagging of conductors due to elevated temperatures and icing.
Trees and other vegetation that are a compatible species and that do not typically attain
a height of 10 feet may be left in place and pruned if necessary.
These guidelines will at all times be subject to the rights of, and shall not limit the rights
of any person or entity other than REC, such as the owners of the subject parcels and
any lessee, tenant, or easement holder other than REC or its successors, within the
utility easement areas to carry . For any period of time during which such other persons
or entities maintain their land by use of an alternative practice (such as mowing),
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative's obligation to implement Integrated Vegetation
Management shall be deemed satisfied with respect to any portion of the existing and
proposed utility easement areas that is so maintained.
Most dead or dying trees will be removed, and the wood will be left for the property
owner, unless it is possible to leave a habitat tree that will not fall into a roadway or be a
risk to the public.
If any dead or dying tree is not adjacent to a roadway or it would not otherwise create a
safety hazard, there shall be consideration for leaving all or a portion of the dead or
dying tree in place as wildlife habitat for raptors and other nesting animals. Trees
occasionally can be left at 10-12 feet to become hunting perches for raptors or cavity
nesting birds, if they will not pose a safety threat.
This requirement is subject to, and does not limit, the land use rights of any person or
entity other than Rappahannock Electric Cooperative or its successors. Such other
persons or entities include the owners and any lessee, tenant, or easement holder other
than Rappahannock Electric Cooperative or its successors, of any underlying parcel(s)
3
of land within the existing and proposed utility easement areas, who may desire to
manage the land using alternative methods (such as mowing), provided that such
alternative methods are consistent with REC's easement rights.
Evaluation and Control Methods
REC will work to achieve the Objectives of this Plan using the following control methods
Manual Control Methods. Manual methods are performed by maintenance workers with hand
carried tools, such as chain saws, hand saws, pruning shears, and other devices to control
incompatible vegetation. These methods are selective and can be used where other methods
are not appropriate.
• Manual methods will be used in any environmentally sensitive areas within the
project area, such as stream banks and critical slopes.
Mechanical Control. Mechanical control methods are carried out using machines. REC will
utilize mechanical controls where appropriate, such as bucket trucks with hydraulic saws
combined with other mechanical pruning equipment.
• Mechanical methods will not be used in any environmentally sensitive areas within
the project area, such as stream banks and critical slopes.
Trees adjacent to the line will be pruned based on projected growth which varies dramatically
depending on species. For example, a maple tree may grow six to ten feet per year on a
favorable site, while a cedar tree may only grow six inches.
Trees within the right-of-way will be allowed to remain if they are low growing, compatible
species such as redbuds, dogwoods, winterberry, serviceberry, etc. Trees that are incompatible,
such as yellow -poplars, oaks, maples and other "timber -sized" species will be removed every
five years. In addition, trees outside the right-of-way may be periodically assessed for health
and vigor and selectively removed if they are found to be potentially dangerous.
Some of the areas that currently have a "tunnel" effect created by trees that hang partially over
Rt. 29, will be more open and be more visually pleasing after the vista is created between the
road and new tree canopy line.
Implementation
Based on REC's assessment of the site and experience with the project area, it proposes a
regular work schedule to achieve the Objectives of this Plan.
REC will implement this Plan on a regular 5-year maintenance schedule with a mid -year
inspection cycle.
This schedule will include prompt monitoring and quality assessment as discussed in more
detail below.
4
Monitoring and Quality Assurance
Following each 5-year maintenance cycle, REC will continue to implement an inspection and
quality control process to ensure that the Implementation of this Plan is consistent with the
stated Objectives.
• The entire length of the project area will be inspected on foot by an ISA certified arborist.
• The inspection will assess whether any remaining hazards exist and confirm that this
Plan has been effectively implemented
• Monitoring may also be carried out by aerial assessment as well as foot patrols
• Any areas not in compliance with this Plan will be promptly addressed and corrected,
typically Inspection of completed work.
• REC will utilize an electronic documentation system to confirm remedial actions comply
with this Plan and are promptly carried out.
As new information becomes available and as site conditions and circumstances evolve, REC
shall reassess this Plan as appropriate, and provide any updated plan to the Director of
Community Development or his or her designee.
43623273_4
5
SP202000007 Online Public Comments
Received 6/13/20 16:50:20 from Greg Bacon
1.
Do you have any questions for Albemarle County staff or the project applicant?
We own a lot on route 641 behind the church (parcel 02100000002400). There is a tower on the
edge of our property. Will this transmission line affect our property. We received a letter for the
special use permit. Is there compensation available from the power company if so. Taller poles
with a wider easements do not help property value go up. Also we have never been granted a
definite ingress/egress To this property in 40 years and do not want to be land locked. Please let
me know what I need to do to be granted one. Currently I think the gravel road for the tower is
the only way to get close to my property. We live in Georgia
Do you have any comments or feedback that you would like to share with County staff about this
proposal?
Is this going to increase revenues for albemarle or greene county or both
June 12, 2020
My sister and I spent our summers on our grandparents' farm situated along
Route 29. Since our grandmother died 65 years ago, we have left it pretty much
as it was. So when the automobile driver comes into Albemarle County they are
met with green and rural. Unfortunately there are attempts to change this with
an industrialized high voltage transmission line and a rather tortuous road system
at the stoplight at 641 and 29.
This high voltage transmission line is primarily to power Greene County
development with electricity. This high voltage transmission line was planned
some years ago before solar and wind power became competitive with fossil fuel
energy and global warming was not such a critical issue. If Greene County chooses
to massively develop they should create their own solar power and battery
storage.
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative's design of their high voltage transmission
towers shows the wires against the poles. But as Greene County needs more and
more power the transmission towers will sprout arms as the voltage goes from
115kv to 230kv and maybe 345kv and this high voltage transmission line will
become full blown.
Robert R Messick
3989 Peach Orchard Road
McConnellsburg, PA 17233
717-485-5456 rrmessick@gmail.com
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126
February 22, 2021
Valerie W. Long
Williams Mullen
321 E Main Stir, Ste 400
Charlottesville VA 22902
vlong Awi I liamsm u Ile n. com
RE: SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative Action Letter
Dear Ms. Long,
The Albemarle County Planning Commission, at its meeting on February 2, 2021, recommended approval by a vote of
6:0 of the above noted petition, with the conditions outlined in the staff report.
Listed are the following conditions:
1. Development must be in general accord, as determined by the Director of Planning and the Zoning
Administrator, with the conceptual plan titled "Proposed 75' RNV Easement" shown on the plan titled
"Rappahannock Electric Cooperative Transmission Line Improvement - Special Use Permit Plans SP2020-
00007," prepared by Alan Franklin, PE, LLC, and dated February 18, 2020. At a minimum, to be in general
accord with the conceptual plan:
• Supporting structures for the electrical transmission lines must remain within the "Existing 40' RAN
Easement", as shown on the plan.
• All pole extensions added to the existing poles must be similar in color to the existing poles.
Minor modifications to the plan that do not conflict with the above elements may be made to ensure
compliance with the Zoning Ordinance.
2. Vegetation within the "Proposed 75' RNV Easement" must be managed according to an Integrated
Vegetation Management Plan in general accord with the draft plan titled "Integrated Vegetation Management
Plan to Accompany SUP 2020-00007", date December 11, 2020. Vegetation must include the following
target vegetation types:
• Native Virginia meadows, low growing shrub landscapes, and pollinator -friendly native species by
suppressing forest succession, and
• Lower -growing trees, grasses, wildflowers, and other vegetation compatible with safety needs and
regulations.
If you should have any questions or comments regarding the above noted action, please do not hesitate to contact
me at (434) 296-5832 or email sclark@albemade.org
Sincerely,
Scott Clark
Snr Planner
Planning Division
cc: Rappahannock Electric Corp
5045 Dickerson Road
Charlottesville VA 22901
Albemarle County Planning Commission
FINAL Minutes February 2, 2021
The Albemarle County Planning Commission held a public hearing on Tuesday, February 2, 2021
at 6:00 p.m.
Members attending were Julian Bivins, Chair; Karen Firehock, Vice -Chair; Tim Keller; Rick
Randolph; Daniel Bailey; Corey Clayborne; and Luis Carrazana, UVA representative.
Members absent: Jennie More.
Other officials present were Scott Clark; Bill Fritz; Steve Allshouse; Amelia McCulley; Charles
Rapp, Director of Planning; Andy Herrick, County Attorney's Office; and Carolyn Shaffer, Clerk to
the Planning Commission.
Call to Order and Establish Quorum
Mr. Bivins said the meeting was being held pursuant to and in compliance with Ordinance No. 20-
A(16), "An Ordinance to Ensure the Continuity of Government During the COVID-19 Disaster."
He said opportunities for the public to access and participate in the electronic meeting will be
posted at www.albemarle.org or on the County calendar, when available. He called the meeting
to order.
Mr. Rapp called the roll. All Commissioners indicated their presence except for Ms. More, who
was not present.
Consent Agenda
Mr. Keller moved to approve the consent agenda.
Mr. Clayborne seconded the motion, which carried unanimously (6:0). (Ms. More was absent.)
Public Hearings
SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
Mr. Scott Clark, Senior Planner with Community Development, presented. He said this item was
a public hearing for a special use permit request for a powerline upgrade. He said the applicants
were in attendance in case there were any questions for them after the presentation.
Mr. Clark said the proposal is a special use permit request to upgrade an existing redistribution
line, which is a by -right level of electrical line that typically carries power between neighborhoods
in local areas. He said this request is to upgrade the corridor and those poles into a transmission
line, which requires a special use permit.
Mr. Clark said specifically, this would install pole topper extensions of existing powerline poles to
increase the height of the poles from an average of 46 feet to a new height averaging about 82
feet. He said that on those new extensions, they would install a 115-kilovolt powerline in the
existing corridor that is about 1.6 miles long on the west side of LIS-29, along the parcels shown
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on the map on the slide in red. He said the gray areas on the map represented the County's
Development Areas, and the white areas were the Rural Areas. He indicated on the northern
portion of the map, noting that it was the Greene County line.
Mr. Clark said the overall width of the easement of the corridor would increase from 40 feet to 75
feet in order to accommodate the larger safety zones needed for the higher -voltage lines.
Mr. Clark said he would present a few pictures of the corridor as it currently exists. He said the
photo on the screen was a view from Advance Mills Road, looking south. He said it shows that
portions of the corridor are open to the highway, Route 29, which is an entrance corridor. He said
one could also see in the photo how the poles have been built out of metal, with a flat space on
top where the extensions can be added on. He said he would show a graphic of this momentarily.
Mr. Clark presented a photo of a grassy area farther south with a narrow band of trees between
the highway, which was on the right, looking north.
Mr. Clark presented a view from the road, noting there was a thin band of trees along the edge of
the road. He said there is an open area behind that for the existing powerline corridor. He said in
some cases, there were more open areas behind that, but in this case, there were more wooded
areas.
Mr. Clark presented another view of the existing corridor and the poles from the highway itself.
Mr. Clark presented a page of the conceptual plan for the project. He said this new corridor would
run north from the Rivanna Substation north to the Greene County line. He noted that the blue
dashes represent the existing 40-foot utility easement and bracketing that (in the lighter green
color) was the proposed 75-foot easement. He said the difference shown was 17.5 feet on each
side, on the east side, which was shown down in the view. He said the extension is into the VDOT
right-of-way, so it is already clear area and doesn't make any difference except for places along
the very edge, where there are some individual trees.
Mr. Clark said that on the west side of the corridor, there is another 17.5-foot extension of the
easement. He said this covers a variety of land cover types, from residences and yards to woods
as one goes along the corridor. He said later, if the Commission needed to see them, he could
show them the remaining pages of the plan. He noted that what was shown on the slide was only
the first page.
Mr. Clark said to give a sense of scale, the west side increase (which is the one that would mainly
impact vegetation) is about 17.5 feet wide and about 1.6 miles along, which gives a rough area
of about 3.4 acres in that expanded easement for the entire length of the proposed transmission
facility.
Mr. Clark presented a graphic from the applicants showing what they propose to add. He said the
lower half showed the existing structure height and what the posts currently look like, along with
the additional increase in height on top of that which would be bolted onto the higher -voltage
poles. He said at the bottom, one could see that the poles are currently centered in the 40-foot
easement and remain centered in the 75-foot easement as it is expanded.
Mr. Clark said the applicant also provided a photo simulation of the change. He said some
Commissioners may recognize the driveway shown, which is on the property that abuts the
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Greene County line. He said the "before" view was shown at the top, with the existing poles, and
the "after" view showed what it would look like after the addition of the extensions that would carry
the higher -voltage transmission lines.
Mr. Clark said in analysis of the special use permit request, the main factor focused on whether
the review was consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. He said this is in a heavily traveled, very
important entrance corridor, and so staff wanted to look at how scenic resources would be
impacted. He said the Comprehensive Plan has several goals that talk about protecting scenic
resources not only in the County in general, but especially in these entrance corridors, and using
design guidelines to help maintain the integrity of those corridors to the County.
Mr. Clark said this project has been to the Architectural Review Board twice, in May and in
November 2020. He said he wanted to briefly explain how staff approached the review. He said
as stated in the staff report to the ARB, there are clear limitations associated with screening utility
lines. He showed the slide with the before and after pictures and said to imagine how ineffectual
it would be to apply typical ground -level screening centers to a pole like this. He said it was not
an effective approach.
Mr. Clark said typical building design and infrastructure screening techniques cannot be
effectively applied to utility poles 85 feet in height. He said over the course of the review with the
applicants and the ARB, staffs focus was rather than trying to hide these pole extensions or
screen them from view, they find a way to offset their visual impacts. He said they certainly have
impacts on the corridor, and staff acknowledges that, but a simple attempt to block the view of
them was not going to work, so they tried to find a way to offset that.
Mr. Clark said that after several rounds of discussion, staff talked with the applicants about their
proposal and ways that they can use their integrated vegetation management technique to offset
the visual impacts of the poles. He said the picture on the screen showed that the existing corridor,
where it is open to the road, is essentially mowed clear at the moment. He said this is a typical
management technique for utility corridors like this, but it is somewhat expensive for the utilities
and obviously not very scenic for the community.
Mr. Clark said the idea here is to improve the visual character of the utility easement by having
taller and more varied vegetation in those currently fairly featureless corridor areas by allowing a
select suite of native (not invasive) species of shrubs and low trees that could grow there without
causing a hazard to the overhead lines.
Mr. Clark said to give a couple of examples of what this looks like, he would show pictures of
examples from other parts of the country. He said he knows this is not the site, or even in
Albemarle, but they were a couple of examples of what integrated vegetation management looks
like on the ground. He said the example shown on the screen was aimed at more of a pollinator
habitat and some perennial (but short-lived) plants rather than trees that would come up every
year. He said one could see how this would benefit the habitat of insects and other animals that
use that kind of territory, and that it was more visually pleasing than being mowed flat to dirt.
Mr. Clark showed a picture of another example, this time from the Eversource Energy Company
in New England. He said he did not know what the flowering trees in the photo were, but the idea
was that this gives an array of shrubs and smaller trees under the corridor. He said even the poles
there were very different, but the vegetation would be similar to what is proposed under the
integrative vegetation management approach (IVM).
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Mr. Clark said there are a couple of caveats to this he wanted to mention. He said the utility's
easement allows the applicant to manage vegetation under these lines. He said they can control
what comes up and what doesn't, and they can use management techniques to affect the array
of vegetation there, but they do not control the right of an underlying landowner to remove what
they want. He said as he mentioned earlier, there are some places along this corridor where the
line is going over residential yards. He said those residential yards would probably stay that way,
or could stay that way, because the underlying landowners always have the right to also manage
that vegetation.
Mr. Clark said another thing he should point out is that some of the individual trees that stand
between the utility lines on US-29 are likely to be removed, depending on the exact clearances
once the poles are up and the wires are in place. He said it is hard to say exactly which ones
would stay and which would go and, of course, they will change over time as they grow, but he
should acknowledge that there will be changes on the edge of the highway itself.
Mr. Clark said staff believes, however, that the gradual change from bare soil and grass to shrubs
and small trees will significantly improve the appearance of the utility easement along the
entrance corridor.
Mr. Clark said when this request went to the ARB in November 2020, the board voted 3-1 to
forward a recommendation of no objection to the proposal, with the condition that the IVM plan
be included as a requirement for the special use permit, and that this plan include proactive
management to promote native species such as meadows, shrub landscapes, and pollinator
species, as well as low -growing trees and other native vegetation as compatible with safety needs
and that are visually pleasing in the entrance corridor. He said staff has adopted this direction into
the conditions that he would present to the Commission.
Mr. Clark said regarding the Comprehensive Plan, the Rural Areas are generally focused on
protecting natural resources and the viability of rural land for agriculture and forestry. He said the
good thing about this project is because it is reusing an existing corridor rather than carving a new
one through the landscape, it is not creating any additional footprint, nor is it blocking access to
any agricultural or forestry land.
Mr. Clark said in summary, staff has identified two favorable factors. He said he should have
mentioned these in more detail at the beginning, but the proposed upgrade would increase the
reliability of electric service to area residents. He said what he should have mentioned at the
beginning was the rationale for this particular project is the final step in a loop of transmission line
connections that would allow the electric cooperative to significantly shorten power outages by
having multiple transmission routes to their customers. He said if one line goes down, they will
have another route to get there.
Mr. Clark said using the existing corridor is an improvement over creating a new corridor that
would impact natural resources and agricultural lands.
Mr. Clark said the factors unfavorable include the pole height increase along the entrance corridor.
He said the recommended condition requires IVM to help offset that visual impact by creating
more visually pleasing vegetation in the corridor.
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
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Mr. Clark said staffs recommendation is that the Planning Commission recommend approval of
the special use permit, with the following conditions: general accord with the plan he showed
earlier with the pole remaining within the existing 40-foot right-of-way, making sure there is a color
match on the pole extensions; and requiring exactly the IVM plan that the ARB called for. He
offered to answer any questions, adding that if there was a need for details about the operations,
representatives for the applicant were available.
Mr. Clayborne said Mr. Clark had showed an image of the right-of-way and asked if on VDOT's
side or the property owner's side, there is an instance along the 1.6-mile corridor where an
individual property owner is negatively impacted, outside of the visual impacts already stated. He
asked if there are any other negative impacts that a property owner could experience.
Mr. Clark replied that the underlying landowners would have to agree to this expanded easement.
He said if the County approves this special use permit that includes the widened corridor, then
the utility would have to work one-on-one with all of those landowners to acquire that expanded
right-of-way. He said it is possible that there would be some impacts, and generally, this would
mean that the utility would have the ability to cut or trim vegetation that protrudes into the 75-foot
easement. He said the work being done on the ground is only to haul the equipment in and (he
assumes) to shut down the lower lines, add the pole toppers, and add the new lines on. He said
there are not a lot of new entrance roads, and there were no grading or landscaping changes
going on. He said it was literally just adding poles and wires.
Mr. Clark said the wider easement allows maintenance to keep vegetation away from those
higher -voltage lines.
Mr. Clayborne said he believed he read in the materials that the existing poles are already
designed to accommodate this proposal, which looked as if it had started back in 2009. He said
this has been a long process and asked if it was fair to say that this was not a surprise that this
proposal would be coming, as a newcomer on the Commission.
Mr. Clark replied that he did not know if they in Community Development had been aware of the
full proposal for that long, but certainly, the utility was looking ahead to the upgrade potential, and
they do have bolt plates on top of those poles where they can go ahead and do that. He said this
has been in the works for a while, and he thinks this has been under review with the County for
about a year now.
Mr. Carrazana said he wanted to make sure that in the images Mr. Clark shared, there were
added lines along with this. He said there are lower lines that exist today. He asked if more lines
would be added with the higher lines, or if the lower lines would go away.
Mr. Clark said as far as he knew, there would be more lines. He said the distribution lines on the
lower lines would stay, and the transmission lines would be an additional function added on top.
He said he could pull up the graphics again after going through the questions to show how this is
set up.
Mr. Bivins asked Mr. Clark to show the graphic before moving on to the applicant.
Mr. Clark presented the graphic on the screen showing the existing and extended poles. He
indicated on the graphic to the connector plate. He said down below are the existing distribution
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 5
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lines, and then three mounts up higher for the phases of the high -voltage lines for the transmission
facility that go on top of that. He said all of that would be there.
Mr. Clark again showed the before and after pictures, which showed lines on both.
Mr. Bivins asked to hear from the applicant.
Ms. Valerie Long said she was representing the applicant, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative
(REC). She said joining her were a number of representatives from REC's project team, who
would all be available to answer questions: Lee Brock, Manager of Engineering and Power
Supply; Sam Wilson, Director of Substation and Transmission Engineering; Cindy Musick,
Director of Vegetation Management Services and a Certified Utility Corridor Arborist; Jeff Powell,
the executive who manages REC's key commercial accounts; and Gary Durdock, Director of
System Planning and Engineering Design.
Ms. Long thanked Mr. Clark for his excellent presentation and said he covered the vast number
of issues in a way that was clear to her and seemed to be clear to everyone else as well. She
thanked Mr. Clark for the time he took in understanding the proposal and its unique aspects.
Ms. Long said she had a few additional slides to show. She said many of them had already been
seen, but she would have them available.
Ms. Long said she would first speak briefly about the purpose of the proposal. She said REC is a
rural electric cooperative, and its territory covers portions of 22 counties within Virginia. She said
only a very small portion of their territory is in Northern Albemarle, which is the 1.6-mile span of
their distribution line along the Route 29 South roadbed. She said REC does have over 2,000
customers in Albemarle County, which are a mixture of residences, commercial businesses,
institutional entities (including Rivanna Station and a number of other businesses), and
agricultural enterprises in the community.
Ms. Long said this would add a 115-kilovolt transmission line on top of the existing distribution
lines. She said to answer Mr. Carrazana's question, Mr. Clark was exactly correct in stating that
the existing lines will remain, and an additional pole topper will be added. She said she had a few
additional photo simulations that she could show the Commission.
Ms. Long said this is an energy infrastructure project that will enhance the resiliency and viability
of REC's system in this area. She said it will enable REC to restore outages much more quickly
to any of their member customers in the area.
Ms. Long presented a map of the project corridor, showing that essentially, the starting point is
around Dickerson Road. She said REC has a substation at the outer edges of the Development
Area. She said there is a small sliver of the G.E. Intelligence Platforms Systems property that
fronts on Route 29, but really, the substation is the start of the project. She said it extends all the
way up the 29 Corridor, up to the Greene County line.
Ms. Long presented a map that was included in the application package, for which she would
provide a brief overview to help orient everyone. She indicated on the map to the Rivanna
Substation, Dickerson Road, Route 29 North, the Greene County line, and the Madison County
line. She indicated to the project span, approximately 1.6 to 1.7 miles. She said this was not the
southern boundary of REC's service territory but was just the southern boundary of the project.
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 6
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She said they do have additional member customers whose parcels are to the south, and a
number of member customers whose parcels are on the east and west of Route 29. She said
they have an existing substation off of Proffit Road, which already has an 115-kV transmission
line that was put in about 10 years ago.
Ms. Long said if the proposed line is approved and constructed, it will enable REC to improve the
resiliency of their system and provide the ability for them to restore outages more quickly. She
said if there is, for instance, an issue on the line between the Rivanna and Proffit substations,
they can backfeed power back from Preddy Creek and Pratts Substations, and vice -versa. She
said if there are outages, they can backfeed back and forth, and so it is an upgrade to their
infrastructure. She said it does not increase the amount of power loads, but merely supports them.
Ms. Long pointed out that REC does not generate any electricity. She said it merely distributes it
to its member customers. She said they buy it wholesale from other generators and then distribute
along its network. She said this line will not increase any generation in power because REC does
not generate power. She said all it does is enable them to transmit and distribute it to their
members in a more efficient and expeditious fashion.
Ms. Long said it is a critical infrastructure upgrade that reduces the time of power outages when
they occur due to severe weather or other circumstances. She said with the unfortunate increase
in climate change, as she was sure everyone has experienced, there has been an increasing
number of severe storms and outages, particular in the area. She said they are seeing more and
more examples of that, and so this project is as important as ever.
Ms. Long said Mr. Clayborne was correct that this project has been in the works since essentially
2009. She said REC first approached the County at that time with this project, but unfortunately,
there was a procedural issue with the Zoning Ordinance. She said that because REC is not an
owner of any of these parcels, it did not have the ability under the County Zoning Ordinance to
submit a special use permit application that is needed for the project.
Ms. Long said they could not find a solution to that problem in 2009, but they did go ahead and
replace the poles, which were wood at the time, with metal poles, as they needed to be upgraded
anyway. She said they were planning ahead, knowing that they would come back at some point
in the near future with the request for the transmission lines, so they went ahead and upgraded
them. She said the foundations are ready and do not need any further work.
Ms. Long said essentially, REC continued working on the plans and approach her firm in 2017 or
2018. She said her firm then started working with REC in trying to find a solution to the procedural
problem. She said ultimately, with the assistance of the Community Development Department
staff, Commission, and Board, they did work with the County on a Zoning Text Amendment that
authorized a rural electric cooperative to submit an application. She said this was approved in
December 2019, and the special use permit application was submitted in February 2020. She
said she was happy to explain this further.
Ms. Long presented the graphic of the proposal, noting that the Commission had already seen
this, but what she believed was most helpful was showing the 40 feet of the existing easement
would be increased by 17.5 feet on either side. She said one half is mostly on the VDOT side,
and the rest is on the landowners' side. She said Mr. Clark was correct in saying that there would
be no other impacts imposed on any of those landowners, aside from widening of the easement
aera. She said there would be no grading, no additional roads, and no additional infrastructure of
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 7
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any kind other than needing to keep a wider easement area due to the taller poles and higher
voltage involved.
Ms. Long presented other exhibits that had been previously shown. She said she had these slides
to present the variety of types of frontage along the corridor. She indicated to Rivanna Substation,
some residences, open areas and wooded areas, a church, a number of parcels that are almost
entirely wooded, and the Greene County line. She said near the Greene County line, there are a
variety of conditions in this area, from fairly wide-open residential parcels to a commercial store,
along with a few residential parcels with some vegetation. She said this was to show the variety
of conditions involved.
Ms. Long presented one of the same photos the Commission already saw, reiterating that nothing
that exists there now will go away or change. She said everything new will be up above, vertically.
Ms. Long presented a second photo simulation, looking to the north. She said for point of
reference, this was taken from the intersection of Dickerson Road. She said there were just pole
toppers on top, with no additional grading or construction. She said she did not believe there was
any impact on the ground, as there was no grading, clearing, or any earth disturbance in installing
the pole toppers.
Ms. Long said there was some information in the application package about IVM, which is what
the applicant is proposing to use along the corridor to manage the vegetation. She said she has
learned a lot about it over the last year, and it is the industry standard for how to manage
vegetation in utility corridors. She said the most important thing is avoiding conflicts between
vegetation and the powerlines. She said it is particularly important when dealing with higher -
voltage lines, like this transmission line. She said it is a method to manage the vegetation and
promote pollinator areas, meadows, and compatible low -growing species in working to avoid and
eliminate tall -growing, fast-growing, and invasive species that will be in conflict with the lines.
Ms. Long said Ms. Cindy Musickj, the Vegetation Management Specialist and Arborist for REC,
was present to answer questions about the process. She said IVM is, again, the industry standard
for how to manage and balance the goal of safety of the lines with an attractive utility corridor that
promotes animal habitat, meadows, and low -growing plants.
Ms. Long presented some photos that were taken by the applicant from the corridor in September
2020, around the same time as the photos Mr. Clark showed earlier were taken. She said there
was maintenance that took place on the corridor over the summer, in July and August, and these
photos were taken in mid -September, showing how the vegetation grows back fairly quickly. She
said these photos also show the variety of conditions that exist along the corridor. She said in
some areas, lower -growing trees that are not a risk to injuring the lines are allowed to stay, and
the vegetation grows fairly quickly.
Ms. Long presented a photo of an example, looking south. She said it showed a dead tree covered
in vines. She said it was a little distorted and looked as if it was up in the lines due to the angle
the picture was taken from, but it actually was not. She said it was a dead tree covered with vines
and was not growing any taller, so REC allowed it to stay there. She said it does not cause any
safety problems, and the crew still has plenty of room to work around it. She said it provides a
nice habitat for birds and other species, and it helps to add vegetation to the right-of-way.
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
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Ms. Long presented additional photos that were taken soon after the maintenance, which showed
some other vegetation that was left in place and some smaller trees that will not be in conflict with
the lines.
Ms. Long presented another example, which Ms. Musick had flagged to her as being significant.
She said the picture was of a dead tree that REC intentionally left there because it provides habitat
for birds but is not growing or getting taller.
Ms. Long presented a photo that was taken prior to maintenance and shows how, at the three-
year or four-year mark, how some of the low -growing trees were able to continue growing while
adding interest to the corridor, yet not competing with the lines at all or posing a danger. She said
the other picture on the slide was taken post -maintenance and showed the vegetation already
growing back fairly significantly.
Ms. Long presented a photo and said although it was shown earlier, she wanted to include it
because it demonstrates the point that Mr. Clark made that obviously, the landowners retain the
right to manage their property as they wish, so long as it does not conflict with REC's needs in
the corridor. She said some landowners choose to mow their lawn and keep it open while others
want it wooded. She said this slide demonstrated pre- and post -maintenance with no difference,
but for others, it will be more significant.
Ms. Long presented another photo from the same spot, taken from a slightly different angle from
Google Earth Street View. She said this was just before maintenance took place at about the 5-
year or 5.5-year mark. She said this was very soon thereafter, showing how the vegetation grows
back fairly quickly, particularly in the first year.
Ms. Long presented a similar photo from a couple of weeks later to show how the vegetation
continues to grow in quickly. She presented another photo that was taken about a month after
maintenance.
Ms. Long presented another photo to show how a property owner has a lease with the billboard
company and chooses to keep the area open and mowed so that the billboard is visible. She said
the easement would go back a little bit further, but the photo shows how in many portions of the
corridor, the views will not be substantially different.
Ms. Long presented a photo of a landowner's property that showed an open area.
Ms. Long said there had been discussion and questions from some members of the public and
others questioning why this has to be done along Route 29 and why it cannot be put in a different
location so that it is not along an entrance corridor. She said REC did consider that issue, but
ultimately decided that utilizing the existing poles along an existing corridor was by far the lowest
impact of the alternatives.
Ms. Long said the map on the right showed the approximate location of the alternate route that is
workable for REC, which would require easements and clearing along a very long span, disrupting
a number of other landowners. She said that along the existing corridor, REC can add this line
with relatively minimal impact on those landowners, other than the widening of the easement area.
She said they believe that, for many reasons, this is the best solution for this issue. She said there
are also streams and stream buffers along the alternate area, and that utilizing the existing line
would not have any impact on streams, stream buffers, or any sensitive areas.
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Mr. Bivins informed Ms. Long that her speaking time was up. He asked the Commissioners if they
had any questions for the applicant before the public hearing.
Mr. Keller said he had a question for Ms. Long, and one for Ms. Musick. He said Ms. Long knows
a great deal about what can be done with both high tension lines and cell towers. He asked if
there is the possibility of a cell tower array being added to the top of any of these poles, once the
pole topper has been put on them.
Ms. Long replied that she did not know if the foundation was designed for that. She said she knew
it was not designed for that, and it was designed for the addition of the pole toppers. She said she
would guess that if there was a wireless provider that was interested, and REC was willing to do
a study and look at whether the foundations were strong enough to support the additional weight
of wireless antennae and equipment, they could potentially consider that. She said the weight of
the equipment, the antennae, and the lines required for those are incredibly heavy and usually
are not able to be added to existing structures that have not been intentionally designed for that,
but she could not speak to that issue.
Ms. Lee Brock said that they would have had to been specifically designed for that. She said they
would be allowed to install fiber optics below, and she believed there already was some of that,
but as far as on top, they were not designed for that.
Mr. Keller asked if there was a request from a cell tower that involved reworking just one tower, if
this is something that would be considered.
Ms. Brock replied that the cell company would have to pay for the whole thing, and REC would
certainly look at it, but she would think that they would have to replace the whole thing. She said
it would surprise her if it was economical for them.
Mr. Keller said Mr. Fritz was still on the line to answer his question. He asked if this was possible,
how many feet it would be able to go up, and if there would be any recourse on the part of the
County.
Mr. Bill Fritz said there were two options. He said one would be to do a Tier I facility, which is an
attachment to an existing structure, and it could not be any taller than the existing structure. He
said they could propose to expand the structure, and this would be a special use permit (Tier III)
and whatever the application was, it would be reviewed and may or may not be approved. He
asked Mr. Keller if this answered his question.
Mr. Keller replied yes. He told Mr. Bivins he would bring this back during discussions later, but he
wanted that information for the public and for the Commissioners. He said his second question
was about tree pruning. He said those who travel to other parts of the country are amazed that
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts seems to have such more sympathetic pruning of trees
along powerline rights -of -way than what is seen in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and he
wondered if the IVM person could speak to that, as it is another component and the higher visual
component that forms the backdrop people will be looking at as they progress north and south on
Route 29.
Ms. Cindy Musick replied that in Massachusetts, she believes there are different statutes that
apply to state road rights -of -way, and there may or may not be larger easements. She said if there
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is a larger easement then obviously, not as much of a pruning cut is needed because the trees
simply do not exist, meaning they are further back, and it is not as obvious as they have been
pruned.
Ms. Musick said that in Virginia, they tend to stick to the smaller easements that the trees may be
closer, and so they have to be pruned. She said it sounded as if Mr. Keller is interested in this,
and of course, certain species grow faster than others. She said if there is a maple, they can have
anywhere between 6-7 feet of growth per year. She said if there is something like an ailanthus,
they could have that in the early season. She said it is a prescriptive approach that is very specific
to species. She said as Ms. Long mentioned, REC and most utilities take an IVM approach, and
pruning is part of that, as well as allowing certain species to grow larger if they are not getting up
into the wire zone.
Mr. Clayborne said he had a question on the overall project and the future of it. He said he saw a
slide where it showed the line going through the neighboring counties of Greene and Madison.
He asked if the intent is that this upgrade would go to those counties and, if so, what the timetable
is.
Ms. Long replied that this is part of an overall infrastructure upgrade that REC is working on, and
so it is just the Albemarle County segment of the upgrade. She said there are portions that exist
in Greene. She said there is a segment where it does not exist, and it does not yet exist in
Madison. She said in those counties, there will also be upgrades. She said in those counties,
however, the transmission line is allowed by right, as compared to Albemarle, which requires a
special use permit. She said REC wanted to be sure that it could get the special use permit
approved in Albemarle in order to then move forward with the rest of the project.
Ms. Long said in terms of a timetable, assuming that the special use permit is approved sometime
in the next few months, it will take approximately a year to work with each of the landowners who
own property within the project area to negotiate easements and terms with each of them. She
said after that, it is about a 4- to 6-month project to get the new pole toppers installed and the line.
She said thus, it would be roughly 1.5 years from the date of the approval to finish the Albemarle
County section. She said she would look to Ms. Brock and Mr. Wilson at REC if they had anything
to add. She said she did not know if the Greene and Madison portions that are not already built
will come after that, and if this would be about another 6-month process before everything is
complete.
Ms. Brock said they would continue on up, and Mr. Wilson could talk about the timing.
Mr. Wilson said timing -wise, he assumed they would start from both sides. He said they would
start working with landowners on both sides because they have to go with easements on the rest
of the lot, and so they will continue to process. He said it will be several years before it is all done.
He said he could not remember the total mileage, but it would take a little while. He said they will
be going in parallel so that while they are working on Albemarle, they will be working on the others,
if they get final approval.
Mr. Randolph asked Ms. Long if it was safe to say that what she was looking at here in terms of
a project is the extension of a spur that goes from the main transmission line down into Albemarle
County. He said it is equivalent to a railroad in that they have a unidirectional line, and it terminates
there at Dickerson Road. He said when conceiving of it in that way, one gets a better
understanding that it isn't that any energy being generated is going from Albemarle, north, but it
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is quite the opposite. He said where the energy is generated by Dominion Power is, in fact, going
down this spur, coming into the critical infrastructure that exists in the business park, which hold
strategic growth industries for Albemarle County.
Mr. Randolph said another thing he feels would have been helpful in looking at the application,
especially for new members of the Planning Commission that may not have had exposure to this
before, is to have cited the fact that the major reason for this project is because they are upping
the overall kilowatts of energy that is going to be distributed on these powerlines.
Mr. Randolph said the reason why there is therefore a need for the powerlines to be higher is for
the safety factor that the increased power, with the electromagnetic currents generated there, is
a safer distance for any humans and animals that would be below. He said they certainly saw that
on the Cunningham -to -Dunes project with Dominion Power, when he was on the Board 2017-
2018, where they upped the overall power generation to 500 kv on that line, and so the towers
had to get much taller, and the lines had to be separated.
Mr. Randolph said it was not a criticism, but he was simply pointing out that he did not think the
narrative emphasized the public safety aspect enough as to why this project is being initiated in
Albemarle County to protect human life along this improved corridor, with increased power coming
into the Rivanna Station area.
Ms. Long said she appreciated Mr. Randolph pointing this out. She said he was correct that it will
certainly utilize the portions of the infrastructure that are in other jurisdictions for the great benefit
of Albemarle County and its institutions and businesses. She said it is about safety for everyone
as well.
Mr. Bailey said he believed the height for safety was covered, and this was clearly about putting
in a transmission line versus a distribution line to create a network of substations. He said he did
not think it was called out, but when Governor Northam signed the Virginia Clean Economy Act,
which was to promote the adoption of renewable energies, one key part of that was modernization
of the infrastructure and the transmission and distribution to allow utility -scale solar or commercial
solar to connect into distribution lines, meaning the substation has to have enough capacity to
handle those interconnectivity requests, then has to be distributed to other parts or wherever it
will be serviced.
Mr. Bailey said he would like to understand the fault tolerance and multiple paths, and if the
applicant could add something to the narrative about how this may help REC and others in the
County and in Virginia assist in the goals to decarbonize and adopt clean energy.
Ms. Long said she would need to draw on the resources of the REC team to address that
specifically. She said she could speak to one issue. She said Mr. Bailey was exactly right about
the Virginia Clean Economy Act, incentives, and other provisions it includes to upgrade,
modernize, and promote renewable energy. She said she would ask Ms. Brock, Mr. Wilson, or
others on the team to address Mr. Bailey's specific questions about those details, as she was not
sure those were in her wheelhouse.
Ms. Brock said that as far as generation goes, REC is a distribution electric cooperative, meaning
they do not generate power. She said they buy the power at wholesale, sell it, and distribute it to
their members. She said this project is not going to increase generation, nor load. She said it will
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make it available through a backfeed or second source to this area. She said the load will all stay
the same, but during an outage, one will not be out of power for as long.
Mr. Bivins said he believed Mr. Bailey had an additional point he was making. He asked Mr. Bailey
to expand on his question, as he did not believe it was about what Ms. Brock spoke to, but it was
about whether or not the system upgrade allows for diversification of the receipt of power as
opposed to the distribution of power.
Mr. Bailey said this was exactly it. He said it was more about trying to understand if this enables
an increased ability not just to distribute power, but to transmit power through the transmission
lines and [inaudible] substation. He said he knows he is not a solar producer, but he has worked
with many of them, and one of the things they look for is whether or not there are parcels near
substations and distribution lines to push it to up transmission lines and other lines. He said he
understands that REC does not install solar fields, but they would supposedly purchase from a
vendor like Apex or many others in Albemarle County who do this.
Ms. Brock said REC does not purchase from the. She said they will interconnect them.
Mr. Bailey said this is what he had meant.
Ms. Brock said this could be possible. She said given the area along Route 29, however, it would
surprise her if anyone would want to connect right on Route 29. She said REC is bound by state
law to at least entertain their application, and they would.
Mr. Bailey asked if this particular site in Albemarle County, then, would not produce any knock -
on clean energy opportunities, based on what Ms. Brock just said. He said it did not mean that it
would not work in the full infrastructure they are working on in the grand plan.
Ms. Brock said if she understood Mr. Bailey correctly, this was correct.
Mr. Bailey said he was trying to understand if there were opportunities for clean energy to comply
with the Comprehensive Plan, and it did not sound as if this particular project had those.
Ms. Brock replied that it could, but it depends. He said what solar developers are looking for is a
very large area of flat land that is right near a transmission line. She said she did not know if she
could see that in this area of Albemarle, but should someone come in and want to clear-cut a lot
of land to put in solar, and the County is okay with it, and they want to connect into REC's
transmission line, they would entertain that because they have to. She asked Mr. Bailey if this
answered his question.
Mr. Bailey replied yes, more, or less.
Mr. Bivins said he had one clarifying question for Ms. Musick. He asked if with the additional 17.5
feet, looking towards the property line, they should expect that the trees there would be eliminated.
Ms. Musick replied this was correct.
Mr. Bivins added this was so that they do not interfere with the transmission lines.
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Ms. Musick replied yes. She said along those lines, there would also be natural regeneration that
goes on immediately afterwards. She said like Ms. Long's pictures had showed, regeneration
occurs rather rapidly, and so there will be low -growing shrubs and [inaudible] trees allowed to
remain after they resprout. She said if one has ever seen an area that has been cleared like that,
it happens rapidly.
Mr. Bivins said one of the things they are talking about is a native Virginia meadow. He said some
of this doesn't happen all by itself but has to be encouraged and managed. He said in those places
in the County where they do have pollinator fields, they are actually intentional and have been
planted and looked after. He said although he was pleased to see that staff put in Item #2, he did
not see in the IVM that they were going to intentionally be engaged in managing or creating a
natural area.
Ms. Musick replied that IVM actually is an intentional way of managing property. She said if they
look at powerline corridors that are managed in this way, what it does is that it suppresses forest
successions. She said after clearing, one would naturally have a plethora of trees. She said the
seed source is existing in the soil, and they are going to regenerate along with ferns, forms, and
pollinator species.
Ms. Musick said in order to have a pollinator habitat, one must suppress the trees, which
suppresses forest succession, which achieves the meadow. She said it can be done through
planting, but it can be done almost as efficiently by simply using the existing seed sources in the
soil. She said this is something that has been done forever, naturally. She said this is done through
IVM.
Mr. Bivins opened the public hearing
Mr. Robert Ray Messick said his family has owned this property for about 120 years. He said his
grandmother originally gave the right-of-way to Rappahannock Power Company in the early
1950s. He said this was a distribution line, which was fine. He said his mother, in the early 1970s,
gave them more right-of-way for more distribution lines, with the understanding that there was not
going to be a transmission line. He said now, they are getting a transmission line, supposedly
without arm extensions. He said these lines will be very close to the pole, but no one will guarantee
him that they will not put (either on these poles or some other poles) arm extensions.
Mr. Messick said this is the beginning of Albemarle County. He said his family has left it green.
He said he and his sister loved growing up there when they were kids, and it has not changed
much since they were young. He said he feels that this powerline now has become an industrial
eyesore at the entrance of Albemarle County.
Mr. Messick said in the local generation of electricity, there has been a revolution in the last 4-5
years, since this whole thing was planned, for solar and wind energy. He said they are going to
have to get off of burning fossil fuels. He said Lake Anna's power plant is now about 50 years old
and may be extended for another 25, but at some point, North Anna is not going to be in service.
Mr. Eric Myers said he was representing Bree M. Myers, who is the property owner on 29 North,
at the Frays Mill Road/29 South intersection. He said his uncle is Mr. Robert Messick, who just
spoke. He said they have a great appreciation for this property. He said he was driving home that
day, looked over, and saw mature oaks, of which many would have to be taken down. He said
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they areas tailor taller than the current transmission line and, in his opinion, help blend the current
transmission line.
Mr. Myers said he wanted to give a few facts. He said REC was talking about the regrowth under
there, but in looking at the Climate Action Plan and the biodiversity plan for the County, he wanted
to quote a few scientific facts about mature oak trees. He said a mature oak tree can produce
10,000 acorns per year, which helps support wildlife forage. He said during growing season, a
mature oak can transpire up to 40,000 gallons of water, which helps cool the atmosphere,
including their canopies. He said it takes 35 years for an oak tree to produce its first small crop of
acorns, and a 100-year-old oak (which some of these are) has sequestered 5,000 pounds of
carbon during its life. He said one could multiply that figure by the number of trees there.
Mr. Myers said he did not quite agree with saying there is little environmental impact. He said he
has a degree in environmental science, and although there would be grasses and the like, the
loss of transpiration and canopy does not seem to go along with the Climate Action Plan from
October 2020 that Albemarle County is committed to.
Mr. Myers said he has a great appreciation for the property, walks it many times a year, and has
seen a lot of wildlife. He said his family tends to keep it wild if they can. He said he greatly
appreciated the opportunity to speak on behalf of his mother, this property, and the environment.
Mr. Bivins closed the public hearing. He asked the applicant if they wanted to respond.
Ms. Long said she would make a few brief comments in response. She said Mr. Messick is correct
that the solar and renewable energy market is continuing to increase. She said as Mr. Bailey
indicated, it is a key component of the Virginia Clean Economy Act that was just enacted in 2020.
She said certainly, this was likely to continue to increase. She said some of the power that REC
purchases now from wholesalers is generated from renewable sources, so while they do not
generate the power (as they have said) and they purchase it at wholesale, some of it is renewable,
and it is very likely that this will only increase in the future.
Ms. Long said regardless, this does not diminish the need for this transmission line, going forward.
She said this is about enhancing the infrastructure, being able to restore power to REC's member
customers in a very timely fashion, to reduce outages whenever possible. She said it would not
have an impact on that issue.
Ms. Long said Mr. Messick also made a comment, which he had shared with the applicant
previously, about some concerns. She said she believed what he was concerned about was that
these poles would be replaced with much taller poles with arms. She said these are the types of
structures that one sees with a 230-kilovolt line that Dominion Power might run, but this is not at
all what is planned here. She said the images the applicant showed the Commission of the pole
toppers are exactly what is proposed, and what the foundations for these poles are designed to
hold. She said REC did not have any plans to increase the size of the structure, and she does not
think they would be able to, anyway.
Ms. Long said with regard to Mr. Myer's comments, the applicant does not dispute the value of
vegetation and trees to the economy and climate, in general. She said it is unfortunate that the
larger transmission lines do require a larger easement area. She said one thing she did not
mention is that typically, REC's standard easement width for a transmission line is actually 100
feet wide. She said some were on the Commission when Central Virginia Electric Cooperative
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(CVEC) obtained a special use permit for their project they called Cash Corner in the Keswick
area. She said this had an existing 100-foot easement already.
Ms. Long said this is REC's standard, but because they are able to utilize this existing line and
for a variety of other reasons, such as the goal for trying to minimize the impact on these property
owners as much as possible, they were able to secure permission to reduce the easement width
to the full 75 feet. She said it is just 17.5 feet of additional land for all the parcels which to those
individual landowners, is absolutely significant, and the applicant appreciates that. She said this
is why REC worked hard to minimize the impact and are using this existing corridor instead of
resorting to a brand-new corridor that would impact a whole other group of landowners. She said
they believe this has the least impact.
Ms. Long said she knows Ms. Myers and her family are fortunate to own what is over 100 acres
of what looks to be mostly wooded land in the project area, and perhaps even more. She said
there will be substantial wooded areas remaining as a result of the stewardship of the property
for all these decades, and likewise with Mr. Messick's property.
Ms. Long said the applicant wishes they did not have to expand the easements and do any more
tree clearing but unfortunately, this is part of the requirements of this infrastructure upgrade. She
stressed that they were trying to minimize this to the extent possible.
Mr. Bivins brought the discussion back to the Commission.
Mr. Randolph moved approval of SP202000007 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative as
recommended in the staff report.
Mr. Clayborne seconded the motion.
Mr. Bivins encouraged some discussion.
Mr. Keller said he would start off by saying that he would support the request, but he finds the
vegetation management plan almost disingenuous. He said he does not know if it is particularly
different than what is done along many of these corridors, which they bushhog and then, sprouts
come up, and they bushhog later. He said perhaps they will allow it to be there a bit longer, but
he would need to know more.
Mr. Keller said in response to Mr. Bivins' question, they did not get a real response as to whether
there is then going to be selective elimination of invasives and allowing natives to grow up and
mature in the fashion they elect to be (e.g., ferns in a shaded area, rhododendrons in a different
kind of shaded area). He said the photographs shown by Mr. Clark of rhododendrons in the rolling
hillsides they can find in some of the corridors in Southwest Virginia are certainly appealing.
Mr. Keller said they need to understand that it is still going to be rugged, and what has historically
been a beautiful entrance corridor on 29 North is being degradated for many different planned
use [inaudible] and is going to continue. He said that every time something like this happens, they
lose a bit of that scenic quality that makes Albemarle special.
Mr. Keller said the fact that it is next to the corridor and that it is not going through a number of
parcels, however, is beneficial. He said while he does not think he will live long enough to see an
alternative to the cell towers and high-tension lines, he does believe they will see energy fixes,
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and just as the telegraph and telephone poles have gone away for much of the American
landscape over the last 100 years, they will see these disappear in the next 100 years. He said
he was ready to second Mr. Randolph's motion if there were no other comments.
Mr. Bivins noted that Mr. Clayborne had seconded the motion. He asked if there were other
comments or discussion.
Mr. Herrick said before the vote was taken, he wanted to clarify Mr. Randolph's motion. He asked
if it was to approve with the conditions recommended by staff.
Mr. Bivins replied yes. He said it was then seconded by Mr. Clayborne.
Mr. Bailey said he was also in support of the request, given that power is a need. He said that in
addition to the IVM plan, as Mr. Keller pointed out, there is a significant visual impact, as it is
doubling the size, and so he does believe it will have an impact on the character of the entrance
corridor. He said anything that can be done with IVM and more specificity to bring back some of
the vegetation and soften the man-made structures would be impactful in trying to keep the
character that Mr. Keller alluded to that makes Albemarle special.
Mr. Bailey said he would also state that he looked at the REC website, saw some things about
the clean energy, and got an understanding of the substation and transmission. He mentioned
there being a better understanding before going to the Board.
Mr. Bailey said he was not an electric expert by any means and did not pretend to be, but he
knows they are a consumer of electricity, and they also have an existing infrastructure and
substations that need to be able to handle load that is produced by solar and wind farms. He said
they have to be able to receive it somewhere and then transmit it to where it is consumed. He
said understanding how this (perhaps not just in Albemarle, but in the grand plan of REC in this
modernization) can help support that would be nice to know from a Planning Commission
perspective of trying to support clean energy and decarbonization.
The motion carried unanimously (6-0). (Ms. More was absent.)
Mr. Bivins said he believed the applicant had an idea of how to fine-tune their presentation before
going to the Supervisors. He said hopefully, they would inwardly digest that as they go forward.
Ms. Long said the applicant appreciated the comments and feedback.
Adjournment
At 8:04 p.m., the Commission adjourned to February 16, 2021, Albemarle County Planning
Commission meeting, 6:00 p.m. via electronic meeting.
Charles Rapp, Director of Planning
(Recorded by Carolyn S. Shaffer, Clerk to Planning Commission & Planning Boards and
transcribed by Golden Transcription Services)
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 17
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Approved by Planning
Commission
Date: 02/16/2021
Initials: CSS
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION 18
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