Culpeper fast-tracks data centers; Maroon Solar faces vote

The Town of Culpeper has proposed a code amendment to allow clearing and grading before site plan approval, and Strata Energy has scheduled the 65-megawatt Maroon Solar project for a Board of Supervisors vote on April 7.

• Town code amendment to allow pre-approval clearing: The proposed change would permit clearing and grading before site plan approval for projects including the Copper Ridge and Culpeper Technology Campus (both owned by STACK Infrastructure, which owns 272 acres on McDevitt Drive). The developer would still need grading and clearing permits, but PEC warns this could leave cleared land vulnerable and give developers leverage after earth-moving begins; STACK has failed to receive site plan approval (including a late-2025 denial over generator placement) and two Copper Ridge submissions were rejected this year.

  • Public forum: Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m.; County Administration Building, 302 North Main Street, Culpeper. Comments limited to three minutes. (Email: councilmembers@culpeperva.gov)

• Strata Energy advancing Maroon Solar despite denials:Strata Energy is taking the 65-megawatt (MW) Maroon Solar project in Stevensburg to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. after the Culpeper County Planning Commission again recommended denial. PEC cites heavy clay soils and shallow bedrock, potential habitat for rare plants flagged by the Virginia DCR, and a history of erosion and sediment issues at other Strata projects; Maroon Solar has been denied three times over the past decade.

  • Board hearing: Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m.; County Administration Building, 302 North Main Street, Culpeper. (Submit letters via the provided EveryAction link.)