2024.05.06 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Enterprise Energy, LLC. Solar Farm Site Plan and IUP Page 6 The applicant described the day-to-day operations and management of the solar farm in the narrative. The solar farm is to have a concrete equipment pad where metering equipment would be mounted, with the power production and equipment to be continuously monitored by a satellite system. Staff will work with the applicant to determine a plan for demonstrating that the system is functioning properly, including routine checks at a time deemed necessary by staff. A plan to provide a system for ensuring that the system is functioning properly will be a condition of approval in the IUP. (i) The owner/operator shall submit a decommissioning plan for the solar farm to ensure that the owner/operator properly removes the equipment and facilities upon the end of the project life, abandonment, expiration, or termination of the interim use permit. This decommissioning plan must meet requirements outlined in the City code. The applicant has provided the City with a decommissioning plan for the solar farm. The City’s ordinance states that the owner/operator of the solar farm shall provide a current-day decommissioning cost estimate and shall post financial security in a form acceptable by the city. The City is requiring the owner operator to submit this required information as well as a cash escrow prior to the issuance of a building permit. The applicant’s decommissioning plan meets City requirements outlined in the code, including the removal of all equipment and structures within 90 days after the system has been inoperative for 12 months as well as the restoration of the site. However, the cost estimates for decommissioning include a projected amount that the developer or city could recover by salvaging the decommissioned equipment. Staff is recommending that the salvage estimate not be included in the cash escrow payment. The decommissioning plan requirements will be a condition of approval in the IUP. 6. CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL OF A SOLAR FARM INTERIM USE PERMIT: An application for a home occupation interim use permit may only be granted upon a finding that all the following criteria have been met: (a) The applicant owns the property or has secured a proper lease agreement on the property, unless the city council determines that unique conditions or circumstances warrant special arrangement. The applicant has a purchase agreement with the owner of the property in question. (b) The proposed solar farm is allowed as a principle use in the respective zoning district and conforms to this chapter. The proposed solar farm is an allowed permitted use with an IUP within the Agricultural (AG) zoning district. (c) The proposed solar farm is keeping with the spirit and intent of this chapter. The spirit and intent of the ordinance is to allow for the generation of renewable energy within the City of Hugo. Promoting the safe, effective, and efficient use of solar energy, may reduce the