BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Boos and pleas for county leaders to protect a rural community filled a public hearing in Berkeley County as residents in Cross pushed back against a proposed 1,500-acre solar farm and the decision to advance a request to lift a large-scale development moratorium.
The Berkeley County Land Use Committee passed a motion to lift a large-scale development moratorium covering nearly 7,500 acres in the Cross community. The action moves forward a proposal tied to the Sandy Run Solar Project, which would require rezoning 1,500 acres to industrial planned development for a 198-megawatt solar farm that could power more than 37,000 homes.
Residents told county leaders they do not want the moratorium lifted, citing concerns about the impact of the solar farm on their rural community and worries that other industrial projects could follow…