Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Solar topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Edgecombe County extends one-year moratorium on Level 2 and 3 solar farm permit applications
Summary
After public comment and a stakeholder review process, the Board of Commissioners approved a one-year extension of the county's moratorium on special-use permit applications for larger solar energy systems to allow further ordinance revisions and state-law monitoring.
Edgecombe County commissioners voted Monday to extend for one year the moratorium on special-use permit applications for Level 2 and 3 solar energy conversion systems, a move county staff said will provide more time to refine zoning rules and track possible changes in state law.
The action came after the board heard a public-notice reading and two residents urged additional study. County Manager Eric Evans summarized the work of a stakeholder committee and planning-board review and recommended a 12-month extension to permit further study and additional stakeholder meetings before potential ordinance revisions.
The moratorium, first enacted after a cluster of solar-farm applications arrived in a short period, pauses new Level 2 and 3 special-use applications while staff and stakeholders review proposed changes to the Unified Development Ordinance. Level 1 solar installations, such as rooftop panels, were not affected by the moratorium.
Tax administrator and planning staff described a process of stakeholder meetings that included proponents and opponents of solar development. Evans said the county and planning board identified recommended ordinance changes, but that some suggested measures might be prohibited by current state statute. The proposed timeline adopted by staff, if the board approved extension, calls for staff review through November, a stakeholder follow-up meeting in December, staff finalization of recommendations January–March 2026, planning-board review in early 2026, and potential adoption of ordinance revisions by August 2026.
Two residents addressed the board during the public hearing. Kimberly Gorham Page, who said she attended stakeholder meetings, asked the board to extend the moratorium for a year to allow clarification of key issues and offered to serve on committees. Kathy Stallings urged a longer pause and said she remained "vehemently against" solar farms, citing concerns about farmland loss and corporate taxation structures; Stallings told the board she would prefer a two-year moratorium but supported the one-year extension as a start.
After public comment, a commissioner moved to approve the one-year extension and the motion carried; the meeting minutes record an affirmative vote with no opposition voiced at the microphones.
The board directed staff to continue stakeholder engagement and to bring ordinance revisions through the planning board and back to the commissioners on the timeline described. The extension allows the county to study how state statutory limits might affect local regulation before pursuing changes that could be subject to legal challenge.
