45.2

Risk Grade

Good

SE Georgia; Okefenokee adjacency creates environmental sensitivity and some site restrictions; moderate saturation building; Waycross timber economy otherwise development-receptive

Assessment Snapshot

Population

35734

State Rank

#31

Compliance

44%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

300 ft from residential; 100 ft from road ROW; 500 ft buffer from Okefenokee Refuge boundary

Zoning Mechanism

CUP via Ware BOC; Waycross city planning for city-area projects; NWR environmental assessment may be required for projects near Okefenokee

Acreage Caps

None established countywide; site-specific buffer requirements

Density Caps

None formal

Spacing Rules

Not codified

Size Restrictions

None formal; environmental overlays near Okefenokee limit some sites

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Neutral

Basis for Assessment

SE Georgia; Waycross timber/railroad town; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge tourism; moderate development orientation; some environmental sensitivity near refuge

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

Board of Commissioners | Elmer Thrift | R | Term Expires: 2028 (Chair); Leonard Burse Jr. | D | Term Expires: Unknown; Jerry Pope | R | Term Expires: Unknown; Timothy 'Timmy' Lucas | R | Term Expires: Unknown; Barry Cox | R | Term Expires: Unknown

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC-SE; Georgia Power / Southern Company (SOCO)

Utilities

Georgia Power, Okefenoke Electric Membership Corp

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use permit (CUP) typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW)

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible (30% base + adders); no Georgia state solar tax credit; Georgia Power IRP solar procurement program

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Ware County Solar I (~40 MW, 2022); Waycross Industrial Solar (~10 MW, 2021)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

One proposal near Okefenokee buffer withdrawn after environmental review 2023

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Ware County County, GA — Solar Development Risk Assessment