Orange County commissioners approve rezonings, UDO updates, solid-waste plan and proclamations

Orange County's Board of Commissioners on June 3 approved a package of zoning, land-use and policy measures that county staff said are intended to bring codes into compliance with state law, expand planning flexibility and advance the county's climate and waste-reduction goals.

The board unanimously approved: (1) a county-initiated zoning map amendment to reclassify Cedar Ridge High School from R-1 to a Nonresidential Conditional District to regularize an existing school and allow a roughly 2,000-square-foot pole-barn classroom addition; (2) a rezoning of an 11.22-acre portion of an 80-acre tract northwest of NC-57 to allow a self-storage development in the NC Highway 57 / Rural Economic Development Conditional District; (3) a rewrite of the Unified Development Ordinance telecommunications standards to reflect federal and state law and updated technology; (4) revisions to local solar-array standards for residential and accessory ground-mounted and rooftop systems; and (5) formal adoption of the Path to Zero Waste solid-waste master plan.

The board also read and approved two proclamations recognizing Juneteenth Freedom Day (June 19, 2025) and Pride Month (June 2025).

Why it matters: The UDO and conditional rezoning votes unblock specific projects (school improvements, a storage facility) and alter administrative review paths for telecommunications and solar installations. County staff said the telecommunications text update is meant to reflect FCC and state requirements and to streamline administrative approvals for certain smaller facilities, while the solar changes aim to lower barriers for residential solar consistent with the county's Climate Action Plan. The solid-waste master plan frames a multi-year approach to increase diversion, pilot organics collection and reduce the county's waste stream.

Key facts and outcomes - Cedar Ridge High School rezoning (county-initiated): approved 6-0. The rezoning reclassifies the school site as a Nonresidential Conditional District; staff and the school system said the action resolves the school's legal nonconforming status and allows the roughly 2,000-square-foot pole-barn agricultural lab to be permitted as an accessory school use. The school committed to providing a 30-foot multiuse easement along Orange Grove Road/New Grady Brown School Road for future pedestrian/bicycle access.

- Roussmont / NC-57 self-storage rezoning (approx. 11.22 acres): approved 6-0. The applicant presented a three-phase site plan totaling 41 storage buildings; staff reported required landscaping, parking, utilities and stormwater measures are included and that the applicant will decommission an existing raceway on the remainder of the tract.

- Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) telecommunications text amendment: approved 6-0 with two minor post-agenda clarifications recorded at the meeting. Staff and the county's retained counsel said the rewrite updates definitions, aligns the code with state statutory requirements and FCC practice, and creates a clearer administrative path for smaller facilities (e.g., certain substation/switching sites and micro facilities) while preserving review and spacing rules for larger towers.

- Solar-array standards (UDO text amendment): approved 6-0. Revisions apply to residential and accessory solar (rooftop and ground-mounted) and do not change the county's review process for larger commercial or utility-scale solar installations already subject to special-use permitting.

- Solid Waste Master Plan ("Path to 0 Waste"): approved. The plan endorses a multi-year program that includes a county-conducted waste characterization study, expanded outreach, pilots for secured organics collection (using locked/restricted-access bins and QR-code/app access for pilots), partnerships with schools and restaurants, and ordinance updates to support organics diversion. Staff cited FY2023 municipal solid waste of about 49,721 tons and an estimated 27% of that tonnage (roughly 13,400 tons) identified as food waste potentially divertible from disposal.

- Proclamations: The board approved proclamations recognizing Juneteenth Freedom Day (motion moved by Commissioner Carter, seconded by Commissioner Hamilton; passed 6-0) and Pride Month (passed 6-0).

Votes at a glance - Proclamation: Juneteenth Freedom Day (06/19/2025) - Motion: "I move that we approve the proclamation recognizing Juneteenth 2025." (Commissioner Carter moved; Commissioner Hamilton seconded) - Outcome: approved, 6-0

- Proclamation: Pride Month (June 2025) - Outcome: approved, 6-0

- Cedar Ridge High School zoning atlas amendment (county-initiated; R-1 to NRCD) - Outcome: approved, 6-0

- NC-57 / Roussmont zoning atlas amendment (11.22-acre portion to Bridal CD1 for storage-of-goods/self-storage) - Outcome: approved, 6-0

- UDO text amendment: Telecommunications standards (section 5.10 rewrite) - Outcome: approved, 6-0 (recorded with two clarifying edits noted during the meeting)

- UDO text amendment: Solar-array standards (section 5.9.06 and definitions) - Outcome: approved, 6-0

- Solid Waste Master Plan (Path to 0 Waste) - Outcome: approved (motion carried)

Other board actions - Consent agenda approved; staff called out a budget amendment that increases the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district tax allocation by $500,000 (noted in the meeting materials).

What the board and staff said - Planning staff described the Cedar Ridge rezoning as a county-initiated effort to bring schools into compliance with the UDO after a 2020 ordinance change rendered schools legally nonconforming. The school system committed to record a revised deed and to provide a 30-foot easement for future multimodal access.

- On telecommunications, county counsel and planning staff said the rewrite aligns local rules with state/federal law and modernizes definitions (including "stealth"/camouflaged structures and micro facilities), and that ongoing collaboration with emergency services and IT is planned to target white-space coverage.

- On waste, Solid Waste Director Robert Williams said a KCI waste-characterization study showed large volumes of divertible organics and commingled recyclables, and presented a multi-year outreach and pilot plan focused first on education, targeted pilots and ordinance changes to enable organics collection and processing.

Next steps and context - For zoning and UDO text amendments, staff will implement the approved changes and process site plans or subdivisions required by the approvals (the NC-57 rezoning requires the applicant to subdivide the rezoned 11.22 acres from the 80-acre parcel and proceed with site construction in phases). - The telecommunications and solar ordinance updates were described as iterative; staff said technology and statutory changes mean additional updates will likely follow.

Ending The board scheduled its budget work session for June 5 to consider amendments to the manager'proposed FY 2025-26 budget. County staff also said a short-term vendor engagement and a later technical work group will review vertical-equity issues raised during public comment on the recent property revaluation.