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Planners move draft solar, battery and site standards to public hearing after months of review
Summary
The Jefferson County Planning Commission voted May 6 to advance draft ordinance updates for commercial and accessory solar energy systems and battery storage to a public hearing, after months of technical‑committee review and public input.
The Jefferson County Planning Commission voted May 6 to advance a comprehensive package of draft changes to the county’s unified development ordinance that govern commercial solar energy systems (SES), accessory solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS) and related development standards.
Planning staff and commissioners said the revisions reflect months of technical‑committee work, public comments and attorney input and that the draft will be posted on the county website before a public hearing is scheduled.
Key proposals included in the draft advanced by the commission: a 500‑foot buffer from existing dwellings, churches, schools or cemeteries measured from the structure edge (with a minimum of 200 feet from the property line in some cases); enhanced continuous screening and perimeter fencing standards; a countywide land‑coverage cap of 4,000 acres for fenced panel areas (fence area, not entire parcel, counts toward the cap); removal of a proposed minimum project size; and requirements that buried collection and distribution lines meet specified depths (examples discussed included 48 inches…
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