Marion County delays vote on big-box signage and directs more review of solar rules for farmland

Marion County commissioners on Nov. 4 held the first of two public hearings on proposed changes to the county Land Development Code that would (1) add a formal definition for "big-box retailer" and treat such stores like shopping centers for on-building signage, and (2) add development standards for solar energy facilities in agricultural (A-1) zoning.

Growth Services deputy director Ken Weirock told the board the proposed definition would label a big-box retailer as a single commercial use of roughly 75,000 square feet or more, and would allow on-building wall signage to be calculated the same way the county already does for shopping centers (1.75 square feet per linear foot of building frontage). Reggie Boudier, an attorney speaking for applicant On Top of the World, said the change fixes a 1992 provision that limits signage for large, modern retail formats to just 96 square feet and makes the county less competitive for retailers…