GREENFIELD — A draft of a solar ordinance was brought to the attention of the Hancock County Plan Commission in July, and a public hearing will take place Aug. 22.
Kayla Brooks, planning director for Hancock County, presented the ordinance to the board, stating that the draft of the ordinance was based off of Marshal County’s ordinance and worked off previous amendments from other ordinances to get a solar ordinance started.
In the ordinance, it is stated that the Plan Commission determined a need for the county to have guidelines and procedures in place for sitting solar energy systems to further the goals of the county comprehensive plan.
Brooks included amendments to the zoning district of Land Use Matrix, adding Solar Energy System, SES, similar to the already added Wind Energy Systems, WES.
With the Land Use Matrix, it will show what determines what size scales for solar energy systems will be permitted or special exceptions in certain zoning districts. Almost all districts have permitted use for small scale, with the expectation of Residential 5.0.
As far as sizes for these systems, there are a few different sizes discussed.
Micro scale would be a single square solar panel, less than 120 square feet. Small scale panels would be anywhere from 120 square feet to 1,750 square feet. Medium scale is more than 1,750 square feet up to 43,560 square feet — the size of an acre. Large scale would be 43,560 square feet up to 435,600 square feet and utility scale would be more than 435,600 square feet up to 4,356,000 square feet of panel area.
Projects that exceed the size for utility scale systems are prohibited.
Other development standards in the ordinance consist of setbacks requirements, height requirements, lot coverage, landscaping and features, drainage and some additional standards.
Sizes and measurements are based on the surface area of the panels themselves, and does not account for the spaces in between each panel.
“That’s sort of what I based it on, looking at those sizes and thinking, ‘What point does it become something that your neighbors want to know about and what zoning district does that apply,” Brooks told the board when the ordinance was introduced.
The different kinds of solar energy systems listed in the ordinance include roof mounted, ground mounted and building-integrated.
Brooks spoke to the commissioners at the Aug. 15 meeting, saying that she had received some feedback after sending a copy of the ordinance out to a handful of people and is grateful for the feedback so far.
“It’s document that I think it needs to be right for Hancock County, so if we need to get some more feedback after the public hearing that’s fine, but I don’t want this to fall off the agenda, I think it’s important we keep moving forward,” Brooks said.
Commissioner Gary McDaniel clarified that if the ordinance is to pass, they would still be able to amend it if there is anything to come across in the future.
Copies of the reviewable form of the solar ordinance can be found in the planning office of the Annex building.
The public hearing for the ordinance draft will be held during the plan commission meeting 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at 111 American Legion Place in Greenfield.
