Board grants 5-foot setback for existing solar array and cargo container in McNeil

The Cochise County Board of Adjustment voted to allow a 5-foot setback for an existing residential solar array and an adjacent cargo-container shop on a 4.99-acre parcel at 3233 West Moonbeam Drive in McNeil.

Staff case planner Sharon told the board the solar panels and cargo container abutting the south property line existed before the applicant, Kenneth Kahahuni, bought the property and that the application partially complied with several of the county's variance criteria while failing others. Sharon said one nearby property owner submitted a letter of support. The parcel is zoned RU-4.

Kahahuni, the applicant, told the board he is 78 years old and that the solar panels are embedded in concrete and cannot be moved. "I don't have the money or the strength to actually move those panels because they're embedded in concrete," he said, asking the board for relief given his age and the on-site constraints.

After staff recommended approval to reduce the minimum required 20-foot setback to 5 feet for the existing structures along the south property line, a board member moved to approve, a second was recorded, and the voice vote carried. The chair announced the motion passed and staff said they would follow up in writing with a confirmation letter the applicant can take to other county offices.

Why it matters: the decision formalizes a permanent exception to the zoning setback for structures that predated the current owner and relieves an owner who said he lacks means to relocate concrete‑anchored panels. Staff noted potential impacts if adjoining southern parcels are later developed, a point raised during review.

The board did not attach additional conditions. Staff will provide written confirmation of the variance to the applicant.