Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Met Towers Up24 14 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves six-year extension for two Morgan Valley meteorological towers to collect wind data
Summary
The Planning Commission amended UP22-06 to extend a permit for two constructed meteorological (MET) towers in Morgan Valley, allowing continued data collection through Aug. 25, 2030; applicants said towers are monopoles with no above-ground electrical lines and will be removed and site restored when data collection ends.
The Lake County Planning Commission on Feb. 13 approved an amendment to major use permit UP22-06 to extend operation of two meteorological towers in Morgan Valley (UP24-14) from the prior expiration date of Aug. 25, 2024, through Aug. 25, 2030.
Why it matters: The towers are gathering wind and meteorological data that developers say will be used to evaluate the feasibility of a potential future wind energy project. Neighbors said the towers are visually intrusive and asked for a finite timetable; the applicant said they requested a six-year extension because the original conditions of approval allowed a single six-year extension and that they may not actually need the full period but prefer to avoid repeated reapplications.
Staff review and project details: Senior planner Laura Holmes told the commission the application would amend UP22-06 to allow a six-year extension to continue collecting wind data from two monopole MET towers already constructed in 2023. The towers stand on two parcels (APNs 012-014-02 and 012-014-08) in the Morgan Valley area near the Colusa County line; two towers were constructed and placed into operation in May 2023. Staff concluded the amendment complies with the Lake County General Plan, the Lower Lake Area Plan and the zoning ordinance provision for permit amendments; staff relied on the prior CEQA determination (Class 3 exemption) and recommended approval with findings in the staff report.
Applicant responses and public comment: Project developer Brandon Walter and representatives including Libby Fortin and Callie Campbell answered questions. They said the towers have no above-ground electrical transmission lines (guy wires and structural anchors only) and that the data are for the applicant’s internal feasibility analysis for a potential future wind facility. A nearby resident, Wayne Doherty, said the towers are “unsightly” and asked that the commission avoid leaving them in place indefinitely. The applicants said the towers will be removed once sufficient data have been collected and that the site will be restored to its prior condition as required in the permit conditions.
Commission action: A motion to amend UP22-06 and approve UP24-14 (extension through Aug. 25, 2030) passed. The commission chair and members expressed differing personal comfort levels with a six-year term — one commissioner indicated comfort with four years — but the motion to approve the six-year extension carried. Staff and applicants noted the towers have been collecting data for about a year to a year and a half and that removal and site restoration are conditions of approval once data collection is complete.
What to watch for: The approval includes a standard seven-calendar-day appeal period to the Board of Supervisors. Neighbors who remain concerned about visual impacts and the length of the extension may file an appeal within that window.
Vote: Motion to approve amendment and extension passed; no recorded opposing votes in the public record.
