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Auburn planning panel approves text changes to add missing NC‑40 rules and regulate solar panels
Summary
The Planning Commission voted to add long-missing bulk regulations for the NC‑40 neighborhood and new zoning language to regulate residential and industrial solar panels, treating most systems as accessory uses while keeping large solar fields subject to conditional use review.
The Auburn Planning Commission on its October agenda approved a two-part zoning ordinance text amendment to fill a decades-old omission and add rules for solar panels.
Planning staff told commissioners that NC‑40 — a small neighborhood off Hamilton Hills Drive — was omitted from the ordinance in 1996 and lacks bulk regulations. Staff proposed adding NC‑40 by averaging the bulk standards of adjacent NC‑48 and NC‑39 districts so the district is brought into parity with neighboring zones. “It was just correcting an omission,” staff said, noting the change affects only properties inside the NC‑40 district.
The second part of the amendment establishes how the city will treat solar installations. Staff said the city has seen roughly 10 residential solar installations and multiple industrial requests; most rooftop and small-scale ground-mounted systems would be treated as accessory structures, while large, primary-use solar fields would remain a conditional use. The amendment includes provisions allowing panels to face side yards or be elevated above the primary structure when needed to capture sunlight; staff cited an approximate 12-foot allowance above the primary structure in the draft language.
Commissioners asked whether solar panels could be placed on roofs and whether the panels could exceed the primary structure's height. Planning staff reiterated the text allows rooftop installations and explained the taller, ground-mounted systems would be limited and not permitted on front-facing street elevations in most residential settings. After discussion, a motion to adopt the text amendment carried unanimously.
The amendment was presented as a general housekeeping and modernization effort: staff emphasized the goal was to provide clear standards for developers and residents and to avoid inconsistent enforcement. The ordinance amendment will go to the city council for final consideration as required by local procedure.
