02-11-2019 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Tuesday, January 22, 2019 6:30 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 3 of 4 beautiful. There are a number of beautiful trees and the buckthorn has been removed. Along the Luce Line is a ridge. Ferril indicated she has tried to get solar for a long time but was told in the past that the roof is too shaded. One day she went up to the top of the hill and saw that the area was eroding. Ferril stated she asked if there is a possibility of putting it by the Luce Line and hiding it with native vegetation that will grow up to the bottom of the rack. Ferril indicated she met with Keith Parker with the DNR about the Luce Line, and he was fine with her clearing it out as long as she paid for it. Ferril indicated she keeps planting more trees and flowers on her property. In addition, Prairie Restoration will work with her on a landscaping plan and that she will probably plant low mow fescue or Pennsylvania sedge underneath the rack and then prairie grass around it. Ferril indicated her idea is to have a mosaic garden out by the Luce Line. Libby asked if there will be acid batteries and an inverter. Lindstrom indicated there will be micro-converters that attach to each individual panel that convert the energy into AC/DC current. Libby asked where the acid batteries will be stored. Lindstrom stated there will be no batteries being installed as part of this design. Chair John Thiesse opened the public hearing at 8:12 p.m. Kris stated she lives behind the subject property and that their topography is higher than this lot so they will look down on it. Kris stated she is in full support of alternative energy, but their concerns relate to what it will look like and that they also had a concern about reflection during the winter. The prairie grasses will not do them any good since their house is above this property. When the Planning Commission considers these individual situations, they also need to take into the topography of the lot and the surrounding area. Kris noted they were told the array will be nine to ten feet tall. Kris stated in spite of all that, they are in support of the proposal. Ferril pointed out there are some trees along the top of the hill where their roots are being eroded. In addition, the limbs are dying and dropping off down onto the hill. The hill itself is quite steep and currently it is kind of a jungle. Prairie Restoration would like to clean that up and carry the debris away and do erosion control. As far as the landscaping is concerned, even if someone is looking down on it, there will be enough variety of trees and plants to help shield it. Ferril indicated she has a lot of faith in Prairie Restoration and that they will certainly work with Kris and her husband to see that it works. Chair John Thiesse closed the public hearing at 8:16 p.m. Landgraver stated the variance process allows for some guardrails and the neighbor has had a chance to review and comment on the proposal. The applicants would be able to put up a shed instead of a rack and put the panels on the roof and the City would not be discussing this. Landgraver stated in his view this is an interesting proposal and that there is good faith among the neighbors. Landgraver stated in his opinion it will set a good precedent and give people an opportunity to see how it looks.