Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utilities Substation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plan Commission recommends approval of ATC substation at Microsoft site, subject to Board of Appeals variance
Summary
The Village of Mount Pleasant Plan Commission voted to recommend approval of a 12-acre ATC electrical substation on land owned by Microsoft, with conditions tied to a pending zoning variance before the Board of Appeals.
The Village of Mount Pleasant Plan Commission recommended approval Wednesday of a site plan for a 12-acre American Transmission Company (ATC) electrical substation on a parcel within Microsoft’s larger development, subject to a zoning variance being granted by the Board of Appeals.
Village planning staff told commissioners the proposed substation will include high-voltage equipment and prefabricated control buildings and will be enclosed by a 24-foot-tall wall. The plan calls for emergency-only exterior lighting and on-site drainage to tie into the property stormwater system. "ATC will own, operate, and maintain the substation via an easement from Microsoft," planning staff said.
The recommendation follows staff review and a fiscal-impact analysis prepared for the larger Microsoft sites. Staff noted the application complies with the C4 base zoning district that permits utilities and public services; however, the proposal does not meet the code minimum roof slope and therefore must either amend the roof slope, enclose a flat roof with a minimum 36-inch parapet, apply for alternative compliance, or secure a variance. "This approval should be subject to the Board of Appeals granting that variance," planning staff said.
Commissioners asked about location, public purpose and tax status. One commissioner noted an existing regional substation built during the Foxconn project and asked whether the new facility is in addition to that. Planning staff replied the new substation is a smaller, data center–specific facility that will tie into the larger transmission system and is different from the existing regional facility. Planning staff also clarified that while utility structures are generally treated as tax-exempt, the village assessor will determine how the site’s value is apportioned between Microsoft and ATC; staff said they had included a fiscal analysis showing the broader Microsoft development would more than cover public obligations even if the easement area were tax-exempt.
An ATC representative, Chris Backlam, told commissioners the substation is designed to serve the specific data center it will be connected to and includes limited capacity for expansion. He said redundancies exist in the transmission network and that control buildings are being designed to robust standards: "the control building is able to support an EF-3 tornado," Backlam said.
The commission voted to recommend approval of Site Plan SP-24-27 subject to the conditions listed in the staff report, including that the Board of Appeals grant the required zoning variance. The motion passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
The Board of Appeals hearing on the variance was scheduled the same evening at 5:30 p.m.; final approval of the site plan is contingent on that variance being granted and on any required building and electrical permits and inspections.
