Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

VA-25-02-149 — Nathan Traynor

Request: Variance in the A-2 zoning district to allow existing ground-mounted solar panels to be located in the front yard in lieu of the side or rear yard.

Decision: Approved

Hearing: SYNOPSIS: Staff described the proposal, including the location of the property, the site plan, and photos of the site. Staff provided an analysis of the six (6) criteria and the reasons for a recommendation for denial of the Variance. Staff noted that no comments were received in favor or in opposition to the request. Two letters of support were submitted by the applicant with the application. The applicant was present and disagreed with the staff's recommendation stating that the structure could not be placed in the side or rear of the house as existing tree would be required to be removed and the location was chosen based on where the panels would receive the most sunlight. The BZA discussed the rural character of the area. They went on to discuss the existing tree cover and the size of the property. The BZA recommended approval of Variance request by a 5-1 vote, with one (1) absent, subject to the three (3) conditions found in the staff report