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Minutes for the Planning Commission Meeting of Thursday, April 11, 2024 <br /> Acting Chair Derr called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. <br /> PRESENT: Andress, Arcand, Derr, Granger, Kelly, Lessard <br /> ABSENT: Kleissler, Petty <br /> STAFF: Rachel Juba, Community Development Director <br /> Max Gort, Associate Planner <br /> Pledge of Allegiance. <br /> Approval of Minutes for the Planning Commission Meeting of December 14, 2023 <br /> Commissioner Lessard made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Andress, to approve the minutes <br /> for the Planning Commission meeting of December 14, 2023. <br /> All ayes. <br /> Motion carried. <br /> Public Hearing: Enterprise Energy, LLC—Site Plan and Interim Use Permit requests for a Solar Farm <br /> located east of Everton Avenue North and north of 149th Street North <br /> Associate Planner Gort presented background on the City's process relating to the solar energy systems <br /> ordinance, and the request to construct a solar farm from Enterprise Energy. The City Council adopted <br /> an ordinance allowing solar farms in certain areas of the City in 2016, and approved the first and thus <br /> far only solar farm project in 2018. In 2023, the Planning Commission and City Council wanted to <br /> review the ordinance due to an increasing interest in solar farm development, and related feedback <br /> from the community. The City Council enacted a moratorium on solar farm applications in order to <br /> study the ordinance. The Ordinance Review Committee (ORC) recommended revisions to the <br /> performance standards for solar farms, which were approved by the City Council on July 241h, 2023, <br /> which repealed the moratorium. <br /> Enterprise Energy submitted applications for a site plan and interim use permit (IUP)to construct a <br /> solar farm on unaddressed property on Everton Avenue North. The parcel is approximately 12 acres in <br /> size, is zoned Agricultural (AG) and guided in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan as Large Lot Residential <br /> (LL). The property is located in an area of western Hugo that requested to remain agricultural in the <br /> zoning code and not be included in the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA), making the <br /> properties ineligible for municipal sewer and water services. The applicant provided a letter from a <br /> septic designer stating that there were no suitable soils on site to construct a septic system, making the <br /> property unavailable for a single-family home without sewer and water services. The properties to the <br /> east consist of townhomes. <br />