County Planning and Zoning Permitting Down; Two Zoning Officers Hired

John Hall (role: planning and zoning official, exact title in transcript: not explicitly restated during this segment) informed the board that permitting for new homes and residential accessory structures is about half the volume of the previous year and zoning cases are down roughly two-thirds compared with 2024. The department attributed some of last year’s higher accessory-structure numbers to ground-mounted solar installations that have been quieter so far in 2025.

"New homes are down half and residential accessory structures are down half," Hall said, adding that 2025 activity looks more like 2021 levels. He also reported a significant drop in special use permits and variances compared with the previous two busy years.

Hall said the department recently hired two zoning officers — a position the county had traditionally staffed with only one officer — after the board authorized a second position in the 2024 budget to address a backlog of cases. "One started Monday and the other one starts next Monday," Hall said.

Board members asked whether the lower activity reflects a national slowdown in housing starts; County Board member Portado noted national data showing declines in new housing starts. Hall said the department is receiving renewed inquiries about community solar farms and anticipated a "flush" of applications in the next two weeks, which could increase zoning workload.

No formal zoning decisions or permits were approved during the hearing; Hall’s remarks were part of the FY26 budget review for planning and zoning.