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Hugo pauses prohibition on solar farms, directs staff to rewrite ordinance and extends moratorium
Summary
After a Sept. 19 workshop, the Hugo City Council voted to withdraw a proposed ordinance that would have banned solar farms, asked staff to revise the ordinance (including consideration of a 20‑acre minimum and setbacks), and approved a six-month extension of the existing moratorium.
The Hugo City Council voted Oct. 7 to withdraw the city’s own ordinance text amendment that would have prohibited solar farms, to direct staff to revise the solar farm ordinance for review by the ordinance review committee (ORC) and planning commission, and to extend the interim moratorium for six months.
Community Development Director Rachel Juba summarized a Sept. 19 workshop that examined the solar farm ordinance’s history and community feedback. Staff told the council that while solar farms are generally low-impact, residents expressed concerns about changes to local character. Workshop discussion included possible increases to minimum parcel size, larger setbacks from neighboring properties, and discouraging siting on wetlands and floodplains; staff recommended considering a 20-acre minimum and returning revised text to the ORC and Planning Commission for public hearings.
Council voted to withdraw the pending text amendment that would have prohibited solar farms and then authorized staff to prepare a revised ordinance for ORC review and Planning Commission consideration. Council also approved drafting an interim ordinance to extend the solar farm moratorium another six months; staff noted the moratorium then in effect was set to expire on Nov. 20.
Council members and staff said they hope the revisions will better balance community character concerns and the procedural framework the city uses to review solar projects. The motions to withdraw the prohibition, authorize staff revisions, and extend the moratorium passed.
Staff said the next steps would include ordinance drafting, ORC review, Planning Commission public hearings, and additional council consideration once staff return with proposed text and findings.
