History
The Board of County Commissioners authorized staff to pursue text amendments to the Boulder County Land Use Code related to solar energy systems on May 10, 2018. On Sept. 17, 2018, staff presented proposed Land Use Code text amendments related to solar energy systems to the Planning Commission, which recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve the proposed amendments The Board of County commissioners approved the Land Use Code text amendments on Oct. 25, 2018 in Resolution-2018-118, effective Nov. 27, 2018.
The purpose of the Code amendments is to facilitate solar energy installation in appropriate locations, while balancing the county’s sustainability-related goals and policies with the scenic, agricultural, and environmental values of the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan. Land Use worked collaboratively with staff from the Parks and Open Space Department and Sustainability Office to identify potential locations for solar gardens in Boulder County. Through this work, staff identified opportunities to improve the clarity and content of the Code, and a need to address the scarcity of sites meeting current Code eligibility criteria for solar energy systems greater than 100kW. Staff intended to update relevant content in Articles 4 (Zoning) and 18 (Definitions) of the Land Use Code, and made other revisions necessary to integrate the changes. Some organizational changes and updates to the existing language were also needed to make the code easier to navigate and utilize.