2025.10.06 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Cedar Creek Energy Solar Farm Site Plan and IUP Page 5 5 (h) Solar farm applications shall include a vegetation establishment and management plan which shall be reviewed and approved by staff. The applicant submitted a vegetation establishment and management plan (VMP). The plan includes an overview of site conditions, plans for removals and restoration of landscapes, timelines for establishment, monitoring, and maintenance of vegetation, and descriptions of the seed mixtures to be planted on site. The VMP describes maintenance activities that would take place several times per year, with changing frequency as time goes on and the vegetation is established. Staff would like to see some more detail describing conditions that would warrant certain maintenance actions to take place. Staff will continue to work with the applicant on creating a VMP that can be used as a guide for determining compliance with the IUP. (i) The owner/operator of the solar farm shall provide the city with evidence that the solar energy system is functioning properly. This shall be provided at any time deemed necessary by the City. The solar farm will have an equipment pad where metering equipment would be mounted, with the power production and equipment to be continuously monitored by a remote system. Staff will work with the applicant to determine a plan for demonstrating that the system is functioning properly, including routine checks at a time deemed necessary by staff. A plan to provide a system for ensuring that the system is functioning properly will be a condition of approval in the IUP. (j) The owner/operator shall submit a decommissioning plan for the solar farm to ensure that the owner/operator properly removes the equipment and facilities upon the end of the project life, abandonment, expiration, or termination of the interim use permit. This decommissioning plan must meet requirements outlined in the City code. The applicant has provided the City with a decommissioning plan for the solar farm. The City’s ordinance states that the owner/operator of the solar farm shall provide a current-day decommissioning cost estimate and shall post financial security in a form acceptable by the city. The City is requiring the owner operator to submit this required information as well as a cash escrow prior to the issuance of a building permit. The applicant’s decommissioning plan meets City requirements outlined in the code, including the removal of all equipment and structures within 90 days after the system has been inoperative for 12 months as well as the restoration of the site. The decommissioning plan requirements will be a condition of approval in the IUP. 7. CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL OF A SOLAR FARM INTERIM USE PERMIT: An application for a home occupation interim use permit may only be granted upon a finding that all the following criteria have been met: (a) The applicant owns the property or has secured a proper lease agreement on the property, unless the city council determines that unique conditions or circumstances warrant special arrangement. The applicant has a lease agreement with the property owner of the property in question.