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Bluff commissioners refine renewable energy ordinance draft, await SolSmart review
Summary
The Town of Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed size definitions, conditional-use study language and exemptions in a draft Renewable Energy Ordinance and agreed to ask SolSmart for technical input; no formal vote was taken.
The Town of Bluff Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 21 discussed edits to a draft Renewable Energy Ordinance and the town's SolSmart application, focusing on size categories, conditional-use studies and small-scale exemptions.
Amanda Podmore, chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, opened the discussion and said the commission should “bring up the draft that we're using” and “clean up one or two things” before meeting with SolSmart staff. Brian (staff member) told the commission that the town had submitted the SolSmart application and that a SolSmart staff member had a “family emergency” that delayed a planned review meeting.
Commissioners concentrated on three issues: (1) simplifying the size/level definitions for projects (for example, considering a “0–5 acres” bracket for very small projects); (2) moving many technical analyses into conditional-use permit requirements so site-specific studies would be required only when warranted; and (3) carving out explicit exemptions for small residential solar fixtures. Marsha Haydenfeld said the town should adopt sizes used in SolSmart sample ordinances, and Malia Collins supported waiting for SolSmart’s recommendation.
On conditional-use studies, commissioners favored language that would require “site-specific studies as warranted by the site,” rather than imposing a fixed set of studies in every case. Commissioners discussed glare and airport-safety studies as examples of site-specific conditions; Podmore noted that some studies would be supplied by the project proposer as part of the application package.
On small-scale exemptions, the commission agreed to add a definition for “residential solar-powered lights” (described in the draft as “self-contained lighting fixtures that harness sunlight to provide illumination for homes and surrounding outdoor spaces”) and exempt them from the ordinance’s larger permitting requirements.
No formal vote was taken. Commission members asked staff to schedule a follow-up meeting with SolSmart (staff mentioned a tentative Sept. 2 meeting) and to prepare a revised draft that reduces the number of size categories and incorporates conditional-use study language.
The commission did not adopt any ordinance at the Aug. 21 work session; members said they would finalize edits after receiving SolSmart’s input.
