T.C. Collins traversed the Fox Run subdivision in King George County recently, promoting a solar project that he believed would benefit residents.
But when Will Thurman, a representative of applicant Daisy Solar, appeared before Collins and his fellow members of the board of supervisors Tuesday night, he shifted his tone.
The change of heart occurred because the applicant had not yet obtained an easement for the property, located on 12 acres at 8209 Daisy Lane. Following a June 3 public hearing regarding the project, the supervisors informed the applicant that they should obtain the easement before returning.
Without the easement in place, the supervisors voted 5-0 to deny Daisy Solar’s special exception permit request.
“I thought it was a good idea because the community could benefit from it, because you get a discounted rate on your power,” Collins said of the proposed medium-scale solar facility. “In Fox Run, I probably told a hundred people that. But now the problem came up with the easement, and now you’ve made me feel stupid.”
Thurman apologized to Collins. He said that the company, which proposed discounted clean energy for residents up to 15% below utility rates, had failed to negotiate an easement with the adjacent property owner since the June meeting.
Daisy Solar included a stipulation in its application that if the easement could not be obtained either through negotiation with the property owner or other legal means within four years, the project would not move forward.
But that did little to alleviate the board’s concerns about granting a permit prior to an easement being obtained.
James Madison District Supervisor Ken Stroud said when a person or company acquires property that is landlocked, they should expect such problems.
“I’m for the project,” Stroud said. “But I’m against going across someone’s land without their permission.”
Thurman cited one reason the company is attempting to expedite the process.
He told the board that President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill “made a number of changes to the landscape of how solar projects will go forward in this country.” He noted that there is a timeline for solar developers to get projects off the ground, or “certain economic advantages may go away.”
That comment irked Shiloh District Supervisor Cathy Binder, who said she initially believed the applicant wanted to be a good neighbor and community partner. But Binder was displeased that they wanted to speed up the special exception permit process in order to take advantage of benefits provided by President Trump’s bill.
“I’m 100-percent against [the project], especially the way this was moved on the agenda to make sure you get federal subsidies, which means the United States taxpayers are paying to make your solar project viable,” Binder said. “And because of the Big Beautiful Bill, that money is going to go away unless you meet deadlines, and the summer of 2026 is an important one. So, it’s not our job to make sure you get your federal subsidies. I feel very strongly about that.”
