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14-3700 SWECS January 16,2015 Page 4 is almost completely within the Shoreland Overlay District, and a majority of the commercially zoned properties abut or are directly across a road from residentially-zoned property. In the Highway 12 commercial areas, the same proximity to residential zoning is found. Certain properties in the Orono Industrial Park on Highway 12 may be the exception,being surrounded by non-residential uses. Questions to be answered: a. Is there a desire on the part of the City or its residents to allow WECS of greater than 10 kW capacity within residential zoning districts? b. Is there a desire to allow WECS of any generating capacity within commercial or industrial districts within Orono? Is there a known demand for such use? c. Are the visual aspects and visual impacts of WECS a significant factor in whether WECS should be allowed in commerciaUindustrial areas? 3. Height, Setback, Location Standards. The Planning Commission recommendation in November 2013 was to limit WECS as follows: - only allowed in the RR-1 A and RR-1 B, 2-acre and 5-acre Rural Residential zones - not allowed in the Shoreland Overlay District, nor in wetlands or floodplains - minimum lot size of 10 acres (gross acreage) - setback to any property line of minimuxn 300 feet - must be within 150 feet of principal structure - hub height maximum 30',blade length maximum 15'; maximum total height 45' A few observations regarding these standards: A square 10-acre lot is 660' x 660'; the 300' setback standard places the WECS in the extreme center of the lot. Many lots of 10 acres or larger may be narrower than 600' and would not be able to locate a WECS on the site. A review of other cities' standards reveals that there is little uniformity as to whether or what size of property should be required for a WECS. The setback requirement most common is 1 to 1.5 times the total height of the WECS. Per Orono Code Section 78-1378, in all districts, antennas may not exceed 20' in height as an allowed accessory use; the City allows ham radio towers/antennas to be up to 65' in combined height via a CUP. Per Section 78-1433, no accessory structures or buildings may exceed 30' in height and may not exceed the height of the principal building. This pertains to items such as light poles and flagpoles, for example. A WECS with height of 45' would be an exception to the accessory structure standard, and would have to be defined as such.