The Planning Commission recommends approval, 6-0.

Staff recommends that the Board approve and adopt the Comprehensive Plan Amendments CPA17-0003.

The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on this item on April 10, 2018. The Board voted to hold a second public hearing on May 22, 2018.

This amendment adds language to two elements of the Comprehensive Plan:

Within Chapter 1, Introduction and Vision, to add a policy supportive of renewable energy generation, data centers, and high-tech industries, also

Within Chapter 1, to add a policy supportive of agritourism, agribusiness, and renewable energy generation in agricultural and rural areas; and

Within Chapter 2, Land Use, to add a policy applicable to all land uses noting renewable energy facilities should be designed to minimize impacts on neighboring properties, uses, and roadways.

This Comprehensive Plan amendment is not pursuant to any Special Use Permit requests but instead, if approved, will add language within the Comprehensive Plan which will be used during the review of any Solar Energy Facility when evaluating that project's consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. 

The Planning Commission held a public hearing February 7, 2018 on the draft Comprehensive Plan amendments and closed the public hearing. They continued the vote to allow staff to review the proposed amendments to determine whether they address the types of concerns raised during public comment related to solar energy facilities. Staff concluded that the amendments as proposed address those concerns since the Comprehensive Plan is general in nature and intended to provide policy direction and general guidance.