Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/27/2023

Home

1 e. A micro -scale WECS is limited to 25 feet taller than the structure to which it is mounted 2 and can be no taller than the maximum building height of the underlying zoning district. 3 A-varianec, processed in accordance with section 117 53 (Varianec procedure) is 4 required for any micro scale WECS proposed to be taller than these restrictions. 5 (4) Blade clearance. Any WECS blade shall maintain a minimum ground clearance of 30 feet. 6 (5) Restricted climbing apparatus. Any WECS tower shall be designed to have removable climbing 7 apparatuses a minimum of 25 feet from the ground. All climbing apparatus within 25 feet of 8 the ground must be removed when not being serviced. 9 (6) Site location in residential districts. A WECS may only be located in the rear yard in the 10 residential districts. Thc city council may approve a WECS in the-ffont yard if the applicant is 11 able to demonstrate-s-ctbacks would bc unable to bc mct in the -rear yard. 12 (C) Design standards. A proposed or modified WECS shall meet the following minimum design 13 standards. 14 (1) Tower design. Any WECS shall be of a monopole design unless the city council determines that 15 an alternative design is preferred in cases where structural or design considerations, 16 neighborhood compatibility, or location availability is better suited with an alternate design. 17 (2) Architectural design. Any WECS shall be designed to blend into the surrounding environment 18 through the use of color and design, except in instances where the color is dictated by federal 19 or state authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration. 20 a. Architectural design standards are subject to final city council approval. 21 b. The city council may deny a WECS if it determines the design standards are incompatible 22 with the surrounding area. 23 (D) Co -location requirements. Whenever possible, the city encourages co -location of wireless 24 telecommunication facilities on a WECS. 25 (E) WECS Lighting. Towers shall not be illuminated by artificial means and shall not display strobe lights 26 unless such lighting is specifically required by the Federal Aviation Administration or other federal 27 or state authority for a particular tower, or if required by the city council for safety reasons. When 28 incorporated into the approved design of the tower, light fixtures used to illuminate ball fields, 29 parking lots, or similar areas may be attached to the tower. 30 (F) Signs and advertising. The use of any portion of a tower for signs other than warning or equipment 31 information signs is prohibited. 32 (G) Accessory utility buildings. All utility buildings and structures accessory to a WECS shall be 33 architecturally designed to blend in with the surrounding environment and shall meet the minimum 34 setback requirements of the underlying zoning district. Ground mounted equipment shall be 35 screened from view by suitable vegetation, except where a design of non -vegetative screening 36 better reflects and complements the architectural character of the surrounding neighborhood, as 37 determined by the city council. 38 (H) Abandoned or unused WECS or portions of a WECS. Abandoned or unused WECS or portions of a 39 W-E-CS shall bc removed as follows: 40 a. All abandoned or unused WECS and associated facilities shall be removed within 12 41 months of the cessation of operations at the site unless a time extension is approved 42 by the city council. A copy of the relevant portions of a signed lease which requires the 43 applicant to remove the tower and associated facilities upon cessation of operations at 44 the site shall be submitted at the time of application. 45 b. Thc replacement of portions of a WECS pre-v+ously removed requires the -issuance of a 46 new conditional use -permit. 47 48 332 Solar energy systems Page 40 of 160