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HDC asks designer for more photos after island homeowners seek solar panels at 37 Ocean Ave
Summary
An applicant sought HDC review to add rooftop solar on 37 Ocean Ave. Commissioners worried some panels could be visible from nearby streets and asked the applicant for additional site photography and angles showing sightlines before making a formal decision.
An application to install rooftop photovoltaic panels on 37 Ocean Ave prompted commissioners to ask the homeowner to supply more detailed photographic evidence showing visibility from nearby streets before HDC members would make a formal decision.
Tobias, representing the applicant, told the commission the plan was to place panels mainly on west‑facing roof planes and on a dormer; the application listed the roof material as a dark gray shingle. Planning staff noted parts of the property face multiple public ways (Carew and Linden/Peru connections) and that, because the house is on a corner and is a recognized historic property, visibility of panels should be carefully documented.
At the start of discussion commissioners and several advisory group members who reviewed the materials in advance said they could not determine from the provided images whether the six‑panel cluster on the south/west elevation would be visible to pedestrians and drivers approaching the water. The board voted to ask the applicant to supply a set of additional photographs and oblique sightline shots and to submit them for HDC review by noon on Thursday (Jan. 23) so the commission could revisit the application the following week.
The move was unanimous and made on a motion to take additional photographs and photomontages; commissioners specifically asked for oblique views from Carew and Linden/Peru approaches and noted that historically the board has favored mounting panels on the least‑visible roof planes or on black roofs where possible.
