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Planning commission discusses undergrounding utilities, triggers and a long-term microgrid conversation
Summary
Commissioners and public speakers discussed options to underground overhead utilities, possible triggers (pole replacement; street paving; sale; maintenance) and longer-term ideas about municipal ownership or microgrids. The commission asked staff to prepare background research and anticipates taking the topic to City Council.
The Ojai Planning Commission on Feb. 5 opened a discussion about undergrounding overhead utilities and related resilience options, including phased undergrounding, triggers for required undergrounding and a possible long-term examination of municipal ownership or microgrids.
Planning staff described current policy: when new construction occurs, the private project must underground service lines on private property to the nearest pole in the public right-of-way; work beyond that pole typically remains overhead. “What it requires is when new new construction comes in … they’re required to underground anything that’s on their private property to the nearest pole off-site,” Lucas, planning staff, told the commission. He…
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