2025.04.07 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Memorandum To: Bryan Bear, City Administrator From: Max Gort, Associate Planner Date: April 2, 2025 for the City Council meeting of April 7, 2025 Re: Ordinance Amendment – Solar Farms 1. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING UPDATE: At its meeting of March 13, 2025, the Planning Commission held a public hearing and considered the proposed ordinance amendments. There were five people who spoke during the public hearing. Three of those five are involved in a solar farm application that was incomplete before the current moratorium went into effect. These three people primarily spoke against the requirement for locating a solar farm on a central portion of the property, stating that this requirement would make the project more expensive and may create issues with farming the rest of the property. The fourth person said that the requirement for central location may be difficult on some lots, and stated that he wanted to ensure solar energy generation would still be allowed. The fifth person stated that she was concerned about potential noise being generated by solar farms, and asked about the City’s process for determining if a solar farm has been abandoned by the operator. The Planning Commission discussed the proposed ordinance revisions and comments heard during the public hearing. The Planning Commission generally felt that the requirement to locate a solar farm on a central portion of the property would reduce the visual impact that solar farms have on neighboring properties, and that the language had enough flexibility for locating a solar farm on a particular property. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the ordinance amendments. 2. BACKGROUND: In 2016, the City Council adopted an ordinance regulating the use of solar energy systems. The ordinance includes rules for accessory solar energy systems, which provide solar energy for on- site use and are accessory to the primary use of the property, and solar farms, which distribute solar energy to off-site consumers and are the primary use of the property. Solar farms are currently permitted in the AG, LA, RR, and FUS zoning districts , all other zoning districts only in the floodplain, and on parcels greater than 10 acres in size. Additionally, solar farms require an Interim Use Permit (IUP), and have specific performance standards and criteria of approval. The first solar farm project was approved in 2018, which drew negative feedback from the community related to aesthetic characteristics and setbacks from property lines. In 2023, the Planning Commission and City Council amended the ordinance due to an increased interest in solar farm development and related feedback from the community. G.4