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Cedar Creek Energy Solar Farm Site Plan and IUP <br />Page 2 <br /> <br /> <br /> 2 <br />After discussing the application, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend <br />approval of the site plan and IUP requests to the City Council. <br /> <br />2. DESCRIPTION OF REQUEST: <br /> <br />The applicant is requesting approval of a site plan and an interim use permit for a solar farm located <br />at 7776 157th Street North. <br /> <br />3. BACKGROUND: <br /> <br />In 2016, the City Council adopted an ordinance regulating the use of solar energy systems, and the <br />first and thus far only solar farm project was approved in 2018. Since then, the City has seen an <br />increased interest in solar farm development and related feedback from the community. The City <br />Council and Planning Commission have recommended that the ordinance relating to solar farms <br />be revised in 2023 and 2025, primarily to address community feedback. The Ordinance Review <br />Committee (ORC) most recently recommended revisions to the performance standards for solar <br />farms which were approved by the City Council on April 7th, 2025. <br /> <br />Cedar Creek Energy is requesting approval of a solar farm at 7776 157th Street North. The property <br />is 38.25 acres and is located within the Agricultural (AG) zoning district. The applicant is <br />proposing to install a solar farm on 5 acres of land in the northwest corner of the property. Solar <br />farm requests require site plan approval and approval of an interim use permit (IUP). The applicant <br />has indicated that this solar farm will produce approximately one (1) megawatt (MW) of power. <br /> <br /> <br />4. LEVEL OF CITY DISCRETION IN DECISION-MAKING: <br /> <br />The City’s discretion in approving or denying a site plan is limited to whether or not the proposed <br />project complies with the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance requirements. If it meets <br />these standards, the City must then approve the site plan. <br /> <br />The City’s discretion in approving or denying an Interim Use Permit use permit is l imited to <br />whether or not the permit meets the standards outlined in the Comprehensive Land Use <br />Regulations. If it meets these standards, the City must approve the interim use permit. <br /> <br />5. CONTEXT: <br /> <br />A. Surrounding Land Use and Zoning <br /> <br />The property is currently zoned Agricultural (AG) and guided for Agriculture (AG) in the 2040 <br />Land Use Plan. The surrounding properties on all sides are also zoned and guided for agriculture. <br />The property is outside of the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA), meaning it is not eligible <br />for city sewer and water services. <br /> <br /> <br />