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2 <br />including minimum lot size, setbacks, buffering and screening, height restrictions, and a <br />decommissioning plan. The ordinance also allows the Planning Commission to recommend and <br />the City Council to impose additional conditions to the IUP at their discretion. <br /> <br />In 2018, the first and thus far only solar farm project in Hugo was approved, constructed at <br />165th Street near the intersection with Henna Avenue. The application exceeded ordinance <br />standards in setbacks and vegetative buffering. However, the project was met with criticism <br />from the community, primarily concerned with aesthetics and potential disruption to the <br />character of the area. In more recent years, interest in solar farm development has risen due to <br />federal and state level rebate programs incentivizing solar energy projects. As a result, the <br />Planning Commission and City Council identified reviewing the solar energy sys tems ordinance <br />as it relates to solar farms as a goal for 2023. At its February 6, 2023 meeting City Council <br />enacted a moratorium on applications for solar farm development effective through August 6, <br />2023. The purpose of the moratorium was to allow the City to determine the appropriate <br />changes, if any, to make to the ordinance. At its June 12, 2023 meeting, the City Council <br />approved a six-month extension to the moratorium, making it effective through February 6, <br />2024. <br /> <br />A joint workshop with the Planning Commission and City Council was held on March 23, 2023. <br />The consensus was to convene the Ordinance Review Committee (ORC) to discuss revising the <br />current ordinance to review the performance standards, concentrating on character of the <br />area. The ORC consists of two City Councilmembers and three Planning Commissioners. The <br />ORC held three meetings on April 17th, May 15th, and June 5th, 2023, considering several <br />possible changes to the ordinance relating to aesthetics and performance standards. At the <br />third meeting on June 5th, 2023, the ORC authorized staff to present the proposed revisions to <br />the City Council. At its June 12th, 2023 meeting, the City Council authorized staff to hold a public <br />hearing with the Planning Commission on the proposed revisions. <br /> <br />3. OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED REVISIONS: <br /> <br />The Ordinance Review Committee focused on aesthetics and the character of the surrounding <br />area related to solar farm development. The ORC determined that adjustments to the <br />performance standards for solar farms would be most effective in addressing the concerns they <br />heard. The following is a summary of the proposed revisions to the ordinance by section. <br /> <br />Sec. 90-278. – Solar energy systems. <br />(d) – Solar farms. <br />(2) – Performance standards for solar farms. <br /> <br />Setbacks <br /> <br />In the current ordinance under subsection (b), solar farms must be 50 feet from all property <br />lines and public road rights-of-way. A change is proposed to increase the minimum setbacks to <br />100 feet from all property lines, 200 feet from all public road rights-of-way, and 200 feet from <br />any principal structure on adjacent properties. <br /> <br />Size of solar farms <br />