Horsepen Creek Solar seeks permit for 235-acre Goochland project

Horsepen Creek Solar, LLC is asking Goochland County for a conditional use permit that would open the door to a principal solar energy facility on 235.57 acres at Shannon Hill Road and Martin Road, a proposal that places a large-scale energy project squarely in the county’s countryside.

The county’s zoning sign information identifies the case as PRE-2026-00020. It says the land is zoned Agricultural, General, or A-1, and that the Comprehensive Plan designates the area as Rural Enhancement Area. That matters because Goochland’s solar policy says a principal solar energy facility may be allowed by conditional use permit in the A-1 district, with each application evaluated on ordinance and comprehensive-plan compliance, land-use compatibility and the impacts of the specific use.

For nearby landowners, the most immediate concerns are likely to center on how the project fits the rural setting. The county’s policy says its purpose is to preserve rural character, protect natural and scenic resources, and consider agricultural and forestal lands. In practical terms, that puts viewsheds, access roads, setbacks, screening, stormwater and drainage, and construction activity near the top of the list for neighbors along Shannon Hill Road and Martin Road.

The county’s permit process shows the project is still moving through the early stages. Goochland says applicants may meet with Planning staff before filing, then proceed through development review. The county also says anyone with questions about solar energy and energy storage facilities should contact Department of Community Development staff, reinforcing that this proposal is being handled through an established public-review process rather than as a routine site plan.

Outside county records add more context. The Virginia Solar and Storage Database tracks large-scale solar projects over 1 MW that have been advertised for local public hearing or are being developed by-right, and its data run through March 31, 2026. An outside interconnection tracker also lists Horsepen Creek Solar I as a 20 MW project in the PJM Interconnection queue, with a queue date of August 26, 2021, and Horsepen Creek Solar, LLC as the owner. The county notice itself does not list project capacity, but it does show where the next land-use debate is likely to land: in a rural part of Goochland where open land, road character and development pressure are already closely watched.