HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-328 Solar OrdinanceCity of Corcoran August 25,, 2016
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
ORDINANCE NO. 2016-328
Motion By: LaFave
Seconded By: Keefe
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE TEXT OF TITLE X OF THE CORCORAN CITY CODE,
ENTITLED ZONING ORDINANCE
THE CITY COUNCIL OF CORCORAN ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. Amendments. Section 1060 (Performance Standards) of Title X: Zoning Ordinance.
The text of Title X: Zoning Ordinance of the Corcoran City Code is hereby amended by deleting
the Q. t or il r%-.f- 1k, I material and adding the underlined material as follows:
1060.110 Solar Energy Systems
Sub d. 1. Findings.
The intent of this Section is to allow reasonable capture and use, by households,
businesses, and property owners of their solar energy resource, and encourage
the development of renewable energy businesses, consistent with community
development standards. This is consistent with Chapter 4, Section 8 of the
Corcoran 2030 Comprehensive Plan, which states that the "City of Corcoran will
protect [solar] access by requiring minimum standards for lot sizes, amounts of
open space, yard setbacks, and maximum heiLyht of buildings for urban residents
that create the opportunity for all buildinLy owners to develop solar enery
facilities if desired."
The Lyeneral purpose of this subsection is to reLaulate the placement. construction
and modification of solar energy systems in order to protect the health, safety
and welfare of the public, while not unreasonably interfering with the
development of the solar enerLyv systems in the City. SDecificallv. theDurDoses of
this Ordinance are:
A. To regulate the location of solar energy systems.
B. To protect residential areas and land uses from potential adverse impacts of
solar energy systems.
C. To minimize adverse visual impacts of solar ener or systems and facilities
through ,design, siting, landscaping, and screening_
D. To avoid adverse impacts to adjacent properties caused by solar energy
systems by ensuring that those structures are soundly and carefully designed,
constructed, modified, maintained and promptly removed when no longer used..
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City of Corcoran August 25., 2016
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
ORDINANCE NO. 2016-328
E. To ensure that solar energy systems are compatible with surrounding land
uses.
Subd. 2. Development of Solar Energy Systems.
A. Solar Energy Systems shall be permitted in the City of Corcoran according to
Table 1 of this section.
District Application Special standards
Required
Building All Building Building-integrated Solar Energy
Integrated SES Districts Permit Systems are subject to all required
setback, land use, and performance
standards for the district in which the
building is located.
Building or Roof All Certificate of Non-residential rooftop systems may
Mounted SES Districts Compliance be pitched at an angle greater than
and shall be screened from the
adjacent public right-of-way and
adjacent residential structures.
Ground UR, RR Certificate of Panel coverage shall be subject to
Mounted Solar Compliance Section 1030 " 020, Subd. 4, E., except
Energy Systems for that the total footprint shall be
Residential calculated as the area of the solar
collector surface.
Site Plan
required for
non-
residential
uses
CUP as
required by
Section
1030.020.
mm TI
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City of Corcoran
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -328
August 25, 2016
Table 1 - Types of Solar Energy ystems
TyT
District
Application
Required
Special standards
Community
Solar Gardens
UR, RR
Interim Use
Permit,
subject to the
Placement of Community Solar
D
Gardens in the UR District shall be
limited to parcels guided Light
Industrial and identified for staging in
standards of
Section
1070.030
2015 and beyond by the Sewer Staffing
Plan in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
Interim Use Permits shall expire 30
years from the date of issuance.
D
Subd. 3. General Standards
Solar energy systems shall conform to the following standards:
1. Buildine Permit. A buildinLy hermit shall be reauired for the erection of
solar energysystem. Prior to the issuance of a building_ Permit, the
operator must Provide evidence of an agreement with the local utility
Off -grid systems less than 6 square feet in size, such as accent lighting
systems, power supply for traffic control systems, powering a water
Pump for water gardens, telecommunication systems, backup Power
systems durinLJ Dower outaLies. and etc. shall be exempt from obtaining a
building permit.
2. It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to secure any solar
energy easements, if applicable, to protect solar access for the system
(per MN Statute §500.30 as maybe amended).
3. SES Svstems shall comDly with all applicable buildinLi, electric. and
plumbing codes. Solar energy system components shall be labeled with
the manufacturers name and address, model number, and serial number.
Electric solar system components that are connected to a building
electric system must have an Underwriters Laboratory (UL) listing
4. Glare. All solar arrays or panels shall be installed or positioned so as not
to cause any glare or reflective sunlight onto neighboring properties or
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City of Corcoran
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
August 25, 2016
ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -328
structures. If results of the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool find any
Potential for temporary after - image, anti - reflective coating or textured
glass shall be used on panels. Panel positioning resulting in potential for
permanent eye damage as measured by the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis
Tool are not permitted.
S. Power and communication lines. Power and communication lines
running between banks of solar panels and to electric substations or
interconnections with buildings shall be buried underground, consistent
with Section 945.060 (Other Utilities). of the City Code. Exemptions may
be granted by the Zoning Administrator in instances where shallow
bedrock, water courses, or other elements of the natural landscape
interfere with the ability to bury lines.
6. Setbacks. Ground mounted solar energy systems and community solar
must be located a minimum of 100 feet from a residential dwelling unit
not located on the property. Ground mounted systems shall meet the
minimum accessory building setback and community solar gardens shall
meet the minimum principal building setback for the underlying zoning
district.
7. Height. Ground mounted solar energy systems shall not exceed 12 feet.
8. Required landscapine. All community solar gardens and ground -
mounted solar energy systems resulting in panel coverage of more than
100 square feet shall provide:
a. A mix of pollinator and native groundcover mix beneath panel arrays,
that provide native perennial vegetation and foraging habitat
beneficial to gamebirds, songbirds, and pollinators and reduces
stormwater runoff and erosion at the solar generation site, subject to
the standards of Minnesota State Statutes §216B.1642.
b. A mix of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs shall be provided
around the perimeter of the solar energy system, and shall meet the
following standards:
L Plant material shall meet the minimum sizing requirements of
Section 1060.070 Subd. 2 D (Landscaping, Minimum Size
Requirementsl.
ii. A minimum of one coniferous or shade tree per 15 lineal feet of
security fence and one tall shrub or hedge material per 10 lineal
feet of security fence shall be provided to buffer the solar energy
system from adjacent properties and public rights -of -way.
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City of Corcoran
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
August 25, 2016
ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -328
:iii. Natural looking and effective screening is desired, consequently,
exceptions to buffering standards may be granted if the natural
landscape provides screening from adjacent public right of ways
and neighboring properties.
9. Erosion and sediment control shall meet the requirements of Section
950 of the City Code.
Subd. 4. Application Requirements
A. Persons desiring to construct a solar energy system shall submit an application
according to standards of the applicable required applications shown in Table 1
of Subd. 2 (A). Applicants shall also submit the following materials:
a. Decommissioning Plan. A plan describing decommissioning shall
include:
L A cost estimate for decommissioning pared by a professional
engineer, a contractor capable of decommissioning r a person
with suitable expertise or experience with decommissioning.
ii. The financial resources that will be available to pay for the
decommissioning and removal of the system.
iii. Means for safely disposing, re -using or recycling project
components
i iy. Means or restoring the site, removing gravel roads, fences and all
solar garden equipment.
b. Glare Study. The applicant shall submit a glare studies that analyze glare
from the adjacent right of way and adjacent residential properties using
the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool from Sandia National Laboratories.
Subd. 5. Decommissioning Required
A. Decommissioning of Community Solar Garden Solar Energy Systems must be
completed within one year from either of the followin
a. The termination of the Interim Use Permit as defined by Section
v
1070.030, Subd. 4. or
b. The system becomes a discontinued use.
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City of Corcoran August 25, 2016
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -328
B. A system shall be considered a discontinued use after 12 consecutive months
without energy production, unless a plan is developed, submitted to, and
approved by the zoning administrator outlining the steps and schedule for
returning the system to service.
C. The city may at its discretion require the owner andJor operator of the
commercial or utility scale system to i)rovide financial security in the form of a
cash escrow, bond, or irrevocable letter of credit in an amount to be determined
by Council.
v
D. The owner of a grid- intertie solar energy system must notify the city in writing
when feeder lines and /or grid interties are disconnected from the local utility
transmission line.
Subd. 6. Home Owners Association
All new residential developments may create provisions for solar use within the
homeowners owners association documents.
Subd. 7. Abandonment
If the solar energv system remains nonfunctional or inoperative for a continuous period
of one year, the system shall be deemed to be abandoned and shall constitute a public
nuisance. Upon notice from the City, the owner shall remove the abandoned system at
0 0
owner's expense after a demolition permit has been obtained, and within 120 dam
Removal includes the entire structure and components.
SECTION 2. Amendments. Section 1020 (Definitions) of Title X: Zoning Ordinance. The text of
Title X: Zoning Ordinance of the Corcoran City Code is hereby amended by deleting the ° +rte
material and adding the underlined material as follows:
SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM RELATED:
Building - integrated Solar Enerev Svstems - An active solar enerav system
that is an integral part of a principal or accessory building, rather than a
separate mechanical device, replacing or substituting for an architectural or
structural component of the building. Building - integrated systems include but
are not limited to photovoltaic or hot water solar energy systems that are
contained within roofing materials, siding, windows. skvlights. awninLis or
within driveways and sidewalks.
Community Solar Garden- A solar - electric (photovoltaic) array that -Drovides
retail electric power (or a financial proxy for retail powerl to multiple
community members or businesses residing or located off -site from the location
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City of Corcoran
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
ORDINANCE NO. 2016-328
August 25., 2016
of the solar energy system, consistent with Minn. Statutes U16B.1641, as may
be amended. A community solar system may be either an accessory or a
principal use and may be building integrated, roof mounted, or ground mounted.
Grid-intertie Solar Energy System - A photovoltaic solar energy system that is
connected to an electric circuit served by an electric utility company.
Ground Mounted Solar Energy System - a solar enerp-v system that is
structurally mounted to the ground, 2enerally u-Don a pole or rack mount and
that is accessory to a principal use. A ground mounted system may be a fixed or
tracking system.
Off-grid Solar Energy System - A photovoltaic solar energy system in which the
circuits energized by the solar energy system are not electrically connected in
any way to electric circuits that are served by an electric utility company.
Photovoltaic System - A solar energy system that converts solar energy directly
into electricity,
Roof Mounted Solar Energy System - a solar energy system that is structurally
mounted to the roof of a principal or accessory building. These systems are
generally affixed with a racking system and may be flush or angled. Solar
equipment which is mounted to a roof which is not flat, and which is visible from
the nearest right -of -way, shall not have a finished Ditch more than five percent
steeper than the roof.
Solar Collector - A device, structure or a part of a device or structure for which
the primary purpose is to transform solar radiant energy into thermal,
mechanical, chemical, or electrical energy.
Solar Collector Surface - Any art of a solar collector that absorbs solar energy
for use in the collector's energy transformation process. Collector surface does
not include frames, supports and mountinLa hardware.
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City of Corcoran
County of Hennepin
State of Minnesota
ORDINANCE NO. 2016 -328
August 25, 2016
SECTION 3. Effective Date. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon its passage.
VOTING AYE
❑ Guenthner, Ken
® Hank, Pat
® Keefe, Mike
® LaFave, Tonya
® Thomas, Ron
VOTING NAY
F-1 Guenthner, Ken
El Hank, Pat
❑ Keefe, Mike
❑ LaFave, Tonya
El Thomas, Ron
Whereupon, said Ordinance is hereby declared adopted on this 25th day of August 2016.
Ron Thomas — Acting Mayor
ATTEST:
City Seal
Jessica Beise — City Clerk/Administrative Services Coordinator
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