2026-05-05-Town's-Response-PSC

Exactly as extracted, unformatted — for checking against the original. The readable version is easier to read.

THE TOWN OF CENTREVILLE 101 LAWYERS ROW CENTREVILLE, MD 21617
410-758-1180 FAX 410-758-4741 WWW.TOWNOFCENTREVILLE.ORG
May 6, 2026
Via e-file only
Andrew S. Johnston, Executive Secretary
Maryland Public Service Commission
William Donald Schaefer Tower
6 St. Paul Street, 16th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
RE: Case No 9868 – TPE MD QA15A, LLC/ TPE MD QA15B, LLC/ TPE MD QA15C, LLC
Town Council of Centreville Comments
On behalf of the Town of Centreville, I am writing in support of the comments submitted by the
Queen Anne’s County Department of Planning and Zoning regarding Case No. 9868, involving
the proposed TPE MD QA15A, TPE MD QA15B, and TPE MD QA15C community solar
generating facilities.
The Town shares the County’s concern that the proposal, while submitted as three separate
community solar facilities, appears in practical effect to function as one co-located ground-
mounted solar energy generating station totaling approximately 9.98 megawatts alternating
current. The project materials identify three proposed solar facilities on the same overall site, and
the County’s comments note that the facilities are co-located on a single property within the Queen
Anne’s County Growth Area and the Town of Centreville’s Tier 2 Growth Area (attached please
find QAC 2022 Comprehensive Plan Map 4-11: Growth Areas and Centreville 2025
Comprehensive Plan Map 1B: Growth Tier Designations respectively).
This location is significant to the Town. Centreville’s adopted Comprehensive Plan identifies Tier
II areas as future growth areas planned for sewer service. These areas are not merely residual rural
lands; they are part of the Town’s long-range municipal growth framework. The Town has planned
for these areas to accommodate future growth in an orderly manner, consistent with municipal
infrastructure planning, interjurisdictional coordination, and the State’s broader policy of directing
growth toward existing and planned population centers.
The Town is not opposed to renewable energy, and Centreville recognizes the importance of solar
energy as part of Maryland’s energy future. However, the Town is concerned when a project that
appears to operate as a single, large-scale facility is divided into separate limited liability company
applications in a manner that avoids the statutory and local review consequences that would
otherwise apply to a facility exceeding 5 megawatts within a Tier I or Tier II mapped growth area.
The Town supports the County’s position that the proposal is inconsistent with the spirit and intent
of the applicable state and local siting standards. Those standards are intended to protect locally

designated growth areas from being consumed by large-scale solar facilities in a manner that may
conflict with adopted comprehensive plans, planned infrastructure investments, and future
municipal growth. Allowing a single co-located project to avoid those standards solely by dividing
the facility among multiple project entities would undermine the purpose of the growth-area
protection established by state and local law.
For these reasons, the Town of Centreville respectfully requests that the Public Service
Commission give substantial weight to the County’s comments and evaluate the proposal based
on its collective siting, scale, function, and impact on the Town’s Tier II Growth Area, rather than
only on the individual generating capacity of each separately named project entity.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments.
Sincerely,
Carolyn M. Brinkley
Town Manager
Cc via email:
Amy Moredock, Director, QAC Planning & Zoning
amoredock@qac.org
Attachments

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Growth(cid:3)Area(cid:3)6(cid:3)just(cid:3)west(cid:3)of(cid:3)Millstream(cid:3)has(cid:3)been(cid:3)enlarged(cid:3)based(cid:3)on(cid:3)the(cid:3)following(cid:3)poten(cid:415)al(cid:3)characteris(cid:415)cs.(cid:3)(cid:3)
As(cid:3)iden(cid:415)fied(cid:3)on(cid:3)Map(cid:3)1(cid:3)natural(cid:3)resource(cid:3)issues(cid:3)around(cid:3)Millstream(cid:3)could(cid:3)serve(cid:3)to(cid:3)help(cid:3)preserve(cid:3)this(cid:3)
important asset. This area is currently under single ownership and consists of approximately 241 acres,
including a historic resource - the 1881 Home know as Claude Anthony Farm on the Maryland Inventory
of(cid:3)Historic(cid:3)Proper(cid:415)es(cid:3)MIHP(cid:3)QA-249. The home is located closer to Hibernia Road and should be
appropriately(cid:3)considered(cid:3)regarding(cid:3)historic(cid:3)context(cid:3)and(cid:3)preserva(cid:415)on(cid:3)in(cid:3)any(cid:3)future(cid:3)growth(cid:3)considera(cid:415)ons.
• The old railroad bed of the Love Point to Centreville Railroad (one of two competing railroads
terminating in Centreville). This feature is both historic and practical as a connection to the existing
Millstream Trail system.
• Queen Anne’s County can look at the old railroad bed as a possible link from Queenstown to
Centreville.
• This area and the current GA#6 can most easily be sewered by a direct connection to the wastewater
plant headworks via an existing easement in Glendale and over the Bd. of Ed. This means the whole
area (including #8) can bypass the south pumping station completely. Growth Areas #4 and #5 head
to the South Pumping station as will infill in the Centreville Business Park and infill area #2.
• Centreville has complete control of the environmental development concerns for the Millstream.
• The Trail system can wrap west of town and connect to the Millstream Trail and Wharf Park.
• West bound traffic from #6 and this area will not contribute to the downtown congestion coming
and going to work north and south, etc.
Map(cid:3)1B(cid:3)iden(cid:415)fies(cid:3)the(cid:3)(cid:415)er(cid:3)designa(cid:415)ons(cid:3)required(cid:3)under(cid:3)the(cid:3)Sustainable(cid:3)Growth(cid:3)&(cid:3)Agricultural(cid:3)
Preserva(cid:415)on(cid:3)Act(cid:3)of(cid:3)2012.(cid:3)(cid:3)The(cid:3)designa(cid:415)ons(cid:3)include(cid:3)Tier(cid:3)I(cid:3)designa(cid:415)ons:(cid:3)areas(cid:3)currently(cid:3)served(cid:3)with(cid:3)public(cid:3)
sewer; Tier II areas: future growth areas planned for sewer service, and Tier IVA areas (Greenbelt)
planned(cid:3)for(cid:3)conserva(cid:415)on(cid:3)and(cid:3)no(cid:3)major(cid:3)subdivisions(cid:3)on(cid:3)sep(cid:415)c.
Map 1B - Growth Tier Designations
Map 1B Amended 05-15-25 Resolution 05-2025 27