Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Prince Edward County has had a very busy year, when it comes to community development. And that development shows both a healthy economic side and that people want to move into this area. That’s how County Planner Robert Love presented his annual report to the board of supervisors, during their Tuesday, Dec. 10 meeting. 

When Love first took over the planning department, there were 146 zoning permits requested that year. Last year, it spiked up to 211 and even though it’s dropped down to 172 in 2024, Love said, the county has way more commercial activity happening in the community. There were 10 new commercial sites in 2024, nine special use permits and currently 27 total stormwater sites that the county manages. 

Beyond that, Love pointed to the housing growth happening or being proposed in a number of areas. There’s the 36-home Zion Hill development, the planned 56-home Granite Falls subdivision that will wrap around the fairgrounds. 

“That’s a significant number of new home lots that are occurring in our community,” Love said. “That type of industry, that type of residential development that’s occurring in your community says this is a thriving growing vibrant community. I am very proud of that.” 

Let’s talk about solar 

Love also pointed to some of the other economic material approved this year. There was the short-term tourist rental on McFarland Lane, at the Hampden-Sydney campus. There were three solar sites, including North Branch, CEP and Piney Grove. North Branch, owned and operated by Charlottesville-based Sun Tribe, covers a 40 acre portion of land on a 147.5-acre parcel. This is located on the east side of Thomas Jefferson Highway, across from its intersection with Point Road. Piney Grove, meanwhile, will stretch 170.8 acres on Taylor Drive in Rice, about a half mile from its intersection with Miller Lake Road.

A total of 73.1 acres would be used for the 8-megawatt project, with an estimated 52.3 acres used for solar panels and infrastructure. And finally there’s CEP, with a project split in two. The first is an 8 megawatt site at the end of Taylor Drive, roughly four tenths of a mile from its intersection with Miller Lake Road. The company has purchased 170.8 acres for this project. The second is for a 5 megawatt site, located on the south side of Piney Grove Road, across from its intersection with Campbell Lane. The company owns 81.2 acres for this project.

Love said that he believes it’s much easier now for people to do business with Prince Edward. “The more we do to put ourselves out there, more transparency in permitting, ease of permitting, expedited permits, it will create these results and I feel like we’re gonna have much much more next year,” Love said. “I feel like we’ll have at least 10 stormwater permits based on things I already know about occurring in the county and stuff the town is talking about.”  

A look at economic projects

Already there are a handful of big economic projects looming on the horizon, as Love points out. The biggest in terms of size is, without question, the solar proposal on Falkland Road. It stretches over more than 800 acres, with more than 50% used for solar panels. That’s 600 acres of panels proposed, with a battery storage building six acres under roof. It’s being introduced at the planning commission meeting this week, with a potential public hearing in January. As for impact, it has the potential to generate more than $150,000 in annual revenue for the county, if a siting agreement is negotiated.

Beyond that, we have potential changes coming for the Dunnington Mansion. A discussion will also start this week at the planning commission meeting, with a request being made to start using Dunnington as a wedding and events center. And these are just two examples, with more expected, Love said. 

“We’re trying to grow this (county),” Love said, adding that it’s working. “I’ve had a lot more calls than last year, with people interested in our community.”