Starlight Solar advances following years-long entitlement process and extensive community, environmental and safety review

SAN DIEGO – September 23, 2026 – Procopio helped secure unanimous approval from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors for Starlight Solar, a major solar and battery energy storage project planned for Boulevard in eastern San Diego County. Starlight Solar will help advance regional and state renewable energy goals. Environmental organizations and labor representatives spoke in support of the project before the Board of Supervisors, and the project developer entered into a labor agreement providing for the use of local union workers during construction.

The 588-acre project will include a solar facility capable of generating up to 100 megawatts and a 217-megawatt battery energy storage system developed in two phases. First proposed in 2022, Starlight Solar also received unanimous approval from the San Diego County Planning Commission before advancing to the Board of Supervisors.

Procopio represented the project developer throughout the entitlement process, led by Partner and Land Use Practice Leader Jim Vaughn and Associate Matt Abbot. The project team worked closely with James Whalen, President of J. Whalen Associates, Inc., who served as land use consultant for the project and led the entitlement and public outreach efforts.  The Environmental Impact Report was prepared by SWCA Environmental Consultants.

“This approval reflects years of work by a large team that took the community’s concerns seriously while working through an unusually complex entitlement process,” said Vaughn. “We addressed evolving questions surrounding battery storage and fire safety, worked through environmental and land use issues, and overcame a CEQA challenge ambush delivered the day before the final hearing. Securing unanimous support from both the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors is a significant victory for a project of this scale and complexity.”

The project also includes a community benefits package intended to support local community-determined uses, as well as funding for renovation of Boulevard’s community center. The project will be built on land that has been in the Haagen family for more than sixty years, and family members have made numerous contributions to the community over the decades. Phase I is expected to break ground in approximately a year.

“This was a true team effort, with many people playing important roles in an unprecedented approval process,” said Whalen. “The project earned unanimous decisions from both the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors while breaking new ground in areas including battery safety analysis and community benefits. It shows what can be accomplished when a project team engages seriously with regulators, environmental organizations and the community.”

About Procopio

Procopio represents developers, investors, landowners, tribal governments, and public and private entities in navigating the legal and regulatory processes required to entitle and develop real estate projects across California. The firm provides integrated legal and land use planning services from early due diligence and entitlement strategy through environmental review, agency approvals and project implementation.

Procopio’s Land Use and Environmental team integrates land use, environmental, real estate and litigation capabilities to address the issues that arise in complex development projects. Attorneys regularly advise on zoning and general plan amendments, development agreements, subdivisions, infrastructure arrangements and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), including defending project approvals when challenged.