Planning staff collecting draft spec sections as Montezuma County solar moratorium continues

Montezuma County planning staff told the Board of County Commissioners they are assembling draft specification sections from planning commissioners as the county’s moratorium on large-scale solar development continues.

A commissioner asked for an update on the moratorium and whether staff had made progress. Planning staff said they have requested draft spec sections from planning commissioners and planned to discuss them at the planning commission meeting later in the week. "I have requested from the PNC commissioners for all of their draft spec sections, so that I can share those, and we can discuss those at our meeting Thursday night," planning staff said during the meeting.

Staff indicated that, once those drafts are compiled, they will distribute a recommendation draft to commissioners for review. The board earlier placed a temporary moratorium on large-scale solar while the county develops new specification language; the moratorium timing noted in this meeting was about two and a half months remaining.

A public commenter, Alan Mays of County Road 21, thanked commissioners for the recent town hall and urged broad public notice and opportunities for input on the land-use changes affecting solar siting. Planning staff and commissioners said they will circulate the drafts to the planning commission and present a more complete recommendation when available.

No final policy decision was made at the meeting; staff said the drafts and a recommendation would be provided for upcoming meetings and public hearings.