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<br /> <br /> <br /> Created: 2023-03-09 14:35:42 [EST] <br />(Supp. No. 31) <br /> <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />(1) Solar farm interim use permits. An interim use permit application must be submitted for approval by <br />the planning commission and city council before a permit is issued for a solar farm. The information <br />required and the procedure to be followed for all solar farm interim use permit applications shall be <br />the same as that required for a conditional use permit set forth in subsections 90-37(a) and (b). In <br />addition, the applicant shall submit supplementary information pertaining to the nature of the solar <br />farm including: <br />a. Total square footage of the solar energy system. <br />b. Total energy production for the site. <br />c. To scale horizontal and vertical (elevation) drawings. <br />d. Drawings must show the location of the system on the property including the property lines and <br />proposed fencing or vegetative buffer. <br />e. Decommissioning plan. <br />(2) Performance standards for solar farms. Solar farms shall be erected and maintained to meet the <br />following standards. <br />a. Solar farms shall be located on a minimum lot size of ten acres within the Long Term Agricultural <br />(LA), Agricultural (AG), Rural Residential (RR), and Future Urban Service (FUS) zoning districts. <br />Solar farms may also be located in any other zoning district only in the floodplain, as long as all <br />other conditions are met. <br />b. Solar farms shall be 50 feet from all property lines and public road rights-of-way. <br />c. Ground mounted solar energy systems shall not exceed 15 feet in height at any point when <br />oriented at maximum tilt. <br />d. Solar farms shall be enclosed by approved perimeter fencing or adequate vegetative buffer for <br />screening. Exception may be granted if the natural landscape provides screening from all public <br />right of ways and neighboring properties. <br />e. The owner/ operator of the solar farm shall provide the city with evidence that the solar energy <br />system is functioning properly. This shall be provided at any time deemed necessary by the city. <br />f. The owner/operator shall submit a decommissioning plan for the solar farm to ensure that the <br />owner/operator properly removes the equipment and facilities upon the end of the project life, <br />abandonment, expiration, or termination of the interim use permit. If the solar energy system <br />remains nonfunctional or inoperative for a continuous period of 12 months, the system shall be <br />deemed abandoned and shall constitute a public nuisance. The owner shall remove the <br />abandoned system at their expense after a demolition permit has been obtained within 90 days <br />after notice has been given. Removal includes the entire structure including transmission <br />equipment, structures and foundations, and the restoration of soil and vegetation. The <br />owner/operator shall provide a current-day decommissioning cost estimate, and shall post <br />financial security in a form acceptable by the city. This estimate must include an inflationary <br />escalator, in an amount determined by the city, which will allow the city to remove the solar farm <br />from the property after the 90-day period has elapsed. <br />(3) Criteria of approval of a solar farm. An application for a solar farm interim use permit may be granted <br />only upon finding that all of the following criteria have been met: <br />a. The applicant owns the property or has secured a proper lease agreement on the property, <br />unless the city council determines that unique conditions or circumstances warrant special <br />arrangement.