Commission approves visible rooftop solar for Lowry Hill East house over staff objections

The Heritage Preservation Commission approved a certificate of appropriateness to install a rooftop solar array at 2429 Colfax Avenue South in the Lowry Hill East Residential Historic District, striking staff-recommended conditions that would have limited panels to minimally visible locations.

The decision followed a staff presentation and public testimony. Rob Skolecki, senior city planner in the historic preservation section of the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development, told commissioners that the district’s 2015 design guidelines state that “solar panels should not be installed on a house” and that if panels are placed on a house they “should be inconspicuous and at least visible from the public right of way,” with preference for garage or rear placement. Skolecki said the application proposed multiple arrays that would be highly visible from the public right of way in selected locations and recommended moving the street-facing panels to meet the guidelines.

Danielle DeMar, director of permissions and design for All Energy Solar and the contractor for the project, defended the submitted design and told the commission the home’s roof color and the panels’ low profile would create “minimal visual impact.” DeMar said the system as proposed would offset about 90% of the house’s annual electricity use and that removing the most-visible panels would reduce expected production substantially; she gave an approximate annual loss of about 1,000 kilowatt-hours if the street-facing panels were removed. DeMar also said the panels sit about 4 to 5 inches above the shingles and that tree canopy and solar exposure drove the chosen layout.

Staff’s materials showed the proposed installation would total 24 panels covering about 218.5 square feet on the dwelling roof and about 238.9 square feet on the detached garage; individual panels were listed in the application as roughly 68 by 47.4 inches. In the application the arrays were described by location: one cluster of five panels on the south-facing front gambrel slope and additional panels on cross gambrel and rear slopes; staff marked several of the street-facing placements as “highly visible” from the public right of way.

Commission debate focused on the tension between the district’s architectural guidelines, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation cited by staff, and the city’s sustainability goals. Several commissioners argued the panels would be reversible and not harm original fabric; others said the written guidelines for Lowry Hill East and the Secretary of the Interior standards counseled limiting visibility. Andrea Burke, supervisor for the historic preservation team, reminded the commission that “each decision stands on its own” and that commissioners could modify or overturn staff conditions with specific findings.

Commissioner Melblum moved to approve the certificate of appropriateness as submitted, striking the staff condition that would have confined panels to the rear or garage; Commissioner Alexander seconded. Roll call recorded six ayes and four nays (Alexander — aye; Booty — aye; Hair — nay; Corrado — aye; Melblum — aye; Rodriguez — nay; Thomas — aye; Wallace — aye; Vice Chair Mastin — nay; Chair Bjornberg — nay). The motion passed.

The commission’s action approves the project as proposed in the application materials. Commissioners and staff discussed permitting and building-code constraints during the hearing, including a required 3-foot clear access pathway on some roof planes for fire access and limits on extending panels above roof peaks. No additional conditions were appended to the approval.

Speakers listed in the record included Chair Marie Bjornberg; Rob Skolecki, senior city planner, CPED; Danielle DeMar, director of permissions and design, All Energy Solar; property owners and representatives named in the application materials; and multiple commissioners who questioned staff and the applicant during the hearing.