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Campbell County staff present draft 'industrial intensive' zoning to allow small modular reactors
Summary
County planners presented draft ordinance language to create an 'industrial intensive' zoning district that would allow small modular reactors (SMRs) as a by‑right use in that district; supervisors raised safety, water, noise and land‑use concerns and agreed to pause the timeline to hire a subject‑matter expert.
County planning staff on Tuesday evening presented a draft ordinance to establish an "industrial intensive" zoning district that would allow small modular reactors (SMRs) as a by‑right use only within that new district.
"It is a by right use, but it's not, for example, by right in our existing industrial heavy district," said the staff presenter, noting that a rezoning to the new district would still require review by the planning commission and the board. Planner Rick Stokes described SMRs as smaller, factory‑produced reactors that "can produce up to 300 megawatts of electricity," and said the draft borrows development standards from prior solar and data‑center ordinances.
The draft includes detailed site‑plan requirements, enhanced erosion and stormwater controls, landscaping buffers, and a requirement that applicants submit a decommissioning plan tied to NRC permitting. Stokes told the board the county intends to defer to federal regulators on technical licensing issues and that "we will default to the NRC if there is a conflict with something that's in our proposed ordinance." He also outlined expectations for hazardous material plans and suggested annual operator training with local first responders.
Board members pressed staff on multiple technical and policy points, including whether energy storage (battery) systems would be required at SMR sites, whether the county should set emergency planning zones or defer to NRC guidance, and whether applicants should post decommissioning bonds similar to those required for solar. Several supervisors said they favored bringing in outside nuclear engineering or regulatory experts before finalizing the ordinance.
By the end of the discussion the board reached consensus to "press pause" on the schedule and try to identify and fund a subject‑matter expert to help refine the draft ordinance and return recommended edits to staff.
The board took a voice vote to close the session after the meeting; no final rezoning decision was made. The draft ordinance will be revised to reflect board feedback and to incorporate outside technical review if the board authorizes funding for a consultant.
