Churchill County schedules Sept. 17 hearing on industrial zoning rewrite after debate on special permits and solar rules

Churchill County commissioners voted Aug. 28 to set a Sept. 17 public hearing on an ordinance that would rewrite the countys industrial zoning rules, add a conditional zoning permit, and clarify how large power-generation projects are reviewed.

The proposal would rename the countys industrial districts I-1 (commercial industrial), I-2 (industrial) and I-3 (heavy industrial); replace the existing use table; add new procedural sections for zoning review; and change the codes "renewable energy facility" definition to a broader "power generation facility" that covers both fuel-based and renewable generation.

Randy Hynes, Public Works planning and building staff, summarized the changes and the new permit types. He told the board the county added a conditional use permit for highly hazardous materials because "NRS actually requires for highly hazardous materials that we do a conditional use permit," and said the conditional zoning permit would allow certain allowed uses to be approved administratively by the director with conditions to ensure neighborhood compatibility.

The proposal groups minor power generation (500 kilowatts or less), private residential panels, and major power generation in code. Hynes said the major category currently covers both renewable and fuel-based facilities and therefore remained a special use permit (SUP) in the draft.

A letter from SB Energy, a renewable-energy developer, asked the county to treat large solar and battery projects as conditional zoning permits in I-2 and I-3 rather than as SUPs, arguing utility-scale solar "is low impact, nondisruptive, and environmentally benign" compared with other I-3 uses. Planning staff said the planning commission supported carving out major solar as a separate line and making it a conditional zoning permit in I-2 and I-3.

Commissioners were split. One commissioner said that keeping major power generation in the SUP process for I-3 "lets the public have input" and keeps "more eyes on that than not." Another said the new chart helps developers see where projects fit and that many prior SUP requirements were unnecessary.

After discussion and staff agreement to draft the final ordinance to reflect the boards guidance, the board voted to set a public hearing for Sept. 17. The motion to set the hearing passed on a voice vote.

What happens next: staff will prepare a final ordinance for the Sept. 17 hearing incorporating the boards direction on whether to split solar into its own line and whether to classify major solar projects as conditional zoning permits in I-2 and I-3.