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Agenda Number G.13 <br />CITY OF HUGO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT <br />DEPARTMENT <br />PLANNING AND ZONING APPLICATION <br />STAFF REPORT <br />TO: Bryan Bear, City Administrator <br />FROM: Max Gort, Associate Planner <br />SUBJECT: Cedar Creek Energy for Oriana CSG 2020-12, LLC. Site Plan and <br />Interim Use Permit requests for a Solar Farm located at 7776 157th Street <br />North <br />DATE: September 30, 2025 for the City Council meeting of October 6, 2025. <br />ZONING: Agricultural (AG) <br />LAND USE: Agriculture (AG) <br />REVIEW DEADLINE: October 13, 2025 <br />1.PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING UPDATE: <br />At its meeting of September 25, 2025, the Planning Commission held a public hearing and <br />considered the request. The property owner, John Lutz, spoke during the public hearing, stating <br />that he was not satisfied with the plan presented and the ordinance requirements regarding <br />placement of the solar farm. Lutz stated that he was expecting to see a plan with reduced setbacks <br />and additional solar arrays, which are not allowed by ordinance. The property owner and the <br />applicant spoke privately and resolved the property owner’s concerns, and have indicated that they <br />wish to continue the approval process for the application. No one else spoke during the public <br />hearing. <br />The Planning Commission discussed the request, particularly in regards to comments received via <br />e-mail from Randy Mersch, the neighbor to the south of the proposed solar array location. Mersch <br />was requesting additional landscaping to buffer his view of the solar array, and stated that he was <br />concerned about glare. The applicant indicated that glare would be mitigated by an anti-reflective <br />coating on the solar panels, and that the panels will not face south. The Planning Commission <br />discussed whether to recommend additional screening, but were comfortable with the existing <br />layer of vegetation between Mersch’s property and the solar array location providing adequate <br />screening as required by ordinance.