Counties could hold key leverage over project’s fate

With Valley Link expected to submit plans for its proposed 115-mile, 765-kilovolt transmission line to the State Corporation Commission (SCC) as early as this month, Fluvanna County is stepping up preparations to join neighboring localities in challenging the project, County Attorney Dan Whitten told the Board of Supervisors Wednesday night.

Whitten also outlined several changes to the project since representatives last appeared before the board in April, including a third potential route through Fluvanna, taller transmission towers, and a shift in one of the previously proposed routes.

The proposed line would run from Campbell County to Culpeper County, passing through Fluvanna and neighboring counties. It is being developed by a partnership of Dominion Energy, FirstEnergy Transmission and Transource Energy.

All three potential routes would pass through Fluvanna. Whitten said none would follow an existing transmission easement, despite the county’s recently adopted policy favoring existing utility corridors and other previously disturbed land.

The project would require new 200-foot-wide easements across an estimated 76 to 120 parcels in Fluvanna. Land could be obtained through purchase or eminent domain.

Since April, the maximum height of the towers has increased from about 160 feet to 175 feet, Whitten said.

Once the application is submitted, it will be available for public review and comment. The SCC is expected to hold public hearings near affected communities, followed by a formal evidentiary hearing in Richmond. The whole process is expected to take at least two years.

Fluvanna plans to participate as a formal party in the case through outside counsel shared with other affected counties. Louisa, Goochland, Buckingham and Orange counties are also expected to participate.

Some counties have already set aside substantial sums for the legal effort. Louisa and Buckingham have each authorized up to $250,000, while Clark County has reportedly allocated $500,000 to fight a separate but related transmission project known as Valley Link North.

Fluvanna has not yet appropriated a specific amount. Whitten said the participating counties were awaiting a proposed agreement from their outside attorney.

The board voted unanimously April 1 to oppose Valley Link, citing its potential effects on property values, agricultural land, natural and historic resources and the county’s rural character.

On Aug. 19, supervisors adopted an addendum to the county’s comprehensive plan establishing policies for electric transmission infrastructure. The policies favor existing corridors and call for minimizing impacts on homes, farms, natural resources, historic sites, and vulnerable communities.

While localities have limited power over the transmission line itself, they may have considerably more leverage over the substations needed to anchor it at either end.

The proposed Joshua Falls substation has been relocated within Campbell County and will require a special-use permit from that county. The Yeat substation at the northern end of the line will likewise require approval from Culpeper County. Neither has been approved, and both counties have expressed opposition to the project.

Whitten said state law clearly allows localities to require special-use permits for substations. If either county denies an application, the SCC could not simply override that decision. Valley Link’s options would be to challenge the denial in court or to seek legislation from the General Assembly that limits local authority.

The possibility raised a small but significant question during Wednesday’s discussion: whether opposition in Campbell or Culpeper could delay the project or leave Valley Link without an approved starting or ending point.

Fluvanna is also strengthening its own regulations. The board will hold a public hearing Sept. 16 on zoning amendments clarifying that special-use permits are required for switching stations and establishing supplemental regulations for new or expanded substations and related infrastructure.

Several residents urged supervisors to establish a temporary Valley Link citizens advisory committee to gather local information, identify historic and environmental resources and help residents understand the SCC process.

Supervisors expressed interest in the proposal but took no formal action. County staff will research how similar groups operate in other jurisdictions and return with possible options.

Comprehensive plan delayed

Planning Director Todd Fortune told supervisors that the county’s comprehensive plan update is taking longer than originally anticipated.

Fortune had initially hoped to complete the plan by the middle of 2027. He now hopes to have a draft finished during the first half of next year, followed by joint work sessions with the Planning Commission and supervisors and public hearings by the end of 2027.

Work on the housing chapter has been delayed pending completion of a regional housing study by the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. The transportation chapter is awaiting an updated regional rural transportation plan expected next summer.

The revised comprehensive plan will include new chapters on rural preservation, community resiliency, and implementation. The recently adopted electric transmission infrastructure addendum will be incorporated into the infrastructure chapter.

Under Virginia law, localities must review their comprehensive plans at least once every five years and determine whether changes are needed. Fluvanna’s review was initially due around 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing changes, and other unforeseen issues.

The county adopted a limited update in September 2024 to bring the plan back into compliance. Fortune said that action restarted the five-year review period, giving the county until September 2029 to complete its next required review.

Legislative priorities selected

Supervisors also directed staff to begin drafting the county’s priorities for the 2027 General Assembly session.

The priorities will include protecting local land-use authority, limiting utility rate increases, addressing the effects of rapidly growing energy demand, and exploring ways for localities affected by data centers and new transmission infrastructure to share in the associated revenue.

VDOT to install gates on South Boston Road; Palmyra sidewalk project canceled

The intersection of Route 600 and Route 618 is expected to remain closed through April 2027 as crews work on a major reconstruction project, Virginia Department of Transportation officials told the Board of Supervisors Wednesday.

VDOT Residency Administrator Craig Simpson said the contractor also plans to add a 16-foot-wide manual gate that emergency personnel can use during the closure.

He described the project at South Boston Road and Lake Monticello Road as being in its “first phase.” Contractors are clearing the site, removing vegetation, and installing erosion and sediment control measures.

Several supervisors questioned why the work was expected to take up to eight months. Simpson said he could not speak to the construction details, but would follow up with the contractor.

Along with the left-turn lane onto Lake Monticello Road, crews must install a drainage pipe beneath the roadway to carry water from the nearby dam spillway, place fill, and ensure that the soil is properly compacted.

Poor installation could lead to erosion, settling, or washout, Palmyra supervisor Tim Hodge noted.

Simpson said the April completion date may be conservative, but noted that the contractor, not VDOT, largely controls the construction schedule.

The project is bundled with construction of the Route 250–Troy Road roundabout. Work on the roundabout is expected to begin in October or November, with a detour in place starting in January.

Both projects are projected to be fully completed by September 2027

In other road news, VDOT is recommending cancellation of the long-planned Palmyra sidewalk project. The project was initially funded in 2022 but failed to advance within the federal program’s four-year deadline as its estimated cost rose from approximately $1.5 million to $2.6 million.

VDOT is also reviewing a requested speed study for Winnsville Drive (Route 612). VDOT will share the results with the county once the study is complete.

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Fluvanna prepares for Valley Link fight as filing nears