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Council Meeting Minutes for May 6, 2024 Page 11 of 13 hide solar farms from neighboring residents as compared to what it does on this long narrow strip of land. A lot of townhomes abut this project, and he said he was not sure how you would screen the solar project from tall buildings. He said it would alter the area for the next 20 years. Klein agreed the ordinance was very robust. He sat on the Ordinance Review Committee with Council Member Miron, and they wanted it to be more robust. He said he agreed with the mayor; it was a unique area with residential buildings all around it. The MUSA was also close by, and that could be hooked into very quickly if the property owners decided to change the zoning. He recalled discussions at the Ordinance Review Committee, and it was not the intent to have a solar farm in the middle of town. He said it was a unique property and thought a solar farm would be better located somewhere else in the community. He said Evan did an excellent job preparing his site plan, and he could understand why the Planning Commission recommended approval, but from a characteristic standpoint, he thought the developer should find a different location in the community. Petryk was around in 1998 and said it had been a struggle for the residents. She said they sacrificed a great deal of money by being removed from the MUSA and did it because they believed in the area and believed it should be kept preserved. It was very generous with the townhomes for their views. She talked about the green corridor and said 160 acres goes a long way for animals. She said the area has history, functions as parkland for a lot of people, and has done exactly what she hoped it would do. She stated it was not the intent to have something like this put in the neighborhood, and though staff and the Planning Commission did a good job evaluating the project, she could not support it. Miron commended the applicant saying he put together a good site plan, but the parcel or the history on it can’t be changed. In terms of connections, the site made sense from a utility standpoint. He talked about the establishment of the ten-acre properties, saying the long-term vision for the character of this neighborhood was for it to be set aside. He said the project was not a good fit despite a good attempt. Strub agreed that it did not fit the character of the neighborhood. He talked about the parcel being empty for so long and was concerned for the landowners’ rights. He said the buyer thinks he had found the best use of the land, and he was concerned about the landowner would be stuck with it. He said everyone loves the view, but they don’t own it. Weidt asked how long the owner had owned the land. Evan responded that he thought they bought it a year before it was on the market, but they couldn’t sell it. He guessed they owned it for 3-4 years. Weidt talked about having respect for property rights, and he didn’t think it was purchased as an investment but as a residential property. Unfortunately, they did not move forward and build a house on this lot. He said they likely don’t care about the neighborhood because they don’t live there anymore. He said there are things that just don’t fit in certain locations. Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2024-18 APPROVING FINDINGS OF FACT DENYING A SITE PLAN AND INTERIM USE PERMIT FOR A SOLAR FARM ON PROPERTY LOCATED EAST OF EVERTON AVENUE NORTH AND NORTH OF 149TH STREET- NORTH.