Jackson County zoning commission reviews draft rewrite of A-1 district, adds placeholders for solar and wind rules

Jackson County Zoning Commission members examined a reorganized draft of the county zoning ordinance during a March 17 work session, focusing on clearer formatting for the A-1 agricultural district, a new land-use/parking matrix, and supplemental district regulations that include consumer-scale solar rules and placeholders for future wind- and utility-scale solar regulations.

The draft, presented by Laura Carston, is intended to modernize an “antiquated” ordinance by adding definitions, charts and hyperlinks to make requirements easier to find, she said. "This is the draft rezoning ordinance. We've been working on an antiquated zoning ordinance. This is a draft that brings us up to speed with the changes that are occurring in our community," Carston told the commission.

Commissioners and staff said the rewrite is primarily organizational: moving material to clearer sections, converting lengthy paragraphs into tables and charts, and creating a consistent template across districts. Carston said changes visible in the packet were shown as redlines and that the packet posted online…