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Planning commission discusses renewable-energy rules, SolarAPP+ and battery storage risks
Summary
Commission members and staff discussed next steps for a proposed renewable-energy ordinance, including using model checklists from the International Code Council, SolarAPP+ for residential permitting, and siting and safety issues for large solar and battery-storage projects.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on June 5 discussed next steps for a proposed renewable-energy ordinance and asked staff to gather model code language and technical guidance for commissioners.
Commissioners said they want a framework that defers technical design and safety details to recognized codes and manufacturers while keeping land-use controls local. Acting Chair Marcia Haydenfeld said the commission should “find out what all of those available details are” and use them to keep the town ordinance concise.
Building department staff and planners recommended relying where possible on the Utah State Building Code and model materials from the International Code Council so the local ordinance can require applicants to “meet these requirements” rather than recreate technical standards. Building staff Kristen Bushnell said international codes and delegated-design approaches can cover many technical details but cautioned the codes are updated only periodically and may lag behind newer technologies.
Commissioners discussed SolarAPP+, a software pathway that allows some residential solar plans to be pre‑approved under standard rules before local review. Haydenfeld and other commissioners said SolarAPP+ could speed approvals for rooftop residential systems if the installation “fits on our chart” of allowable uses.
The commission also discussed large-scale projects and battery storage. Kristen Bushnell said battery-storage sites seen by regional planners typically occupy about 10 acres and “basically look like a bunch of shipping containers stacked up,” and she noted thermal-runaway fires are a known hazard that affect spacing and safety requirements. Staff and commissioners emphasized the town’s limited technical jurisdiction over structural and electrical design and said conditional-use review could be used to assess siting, parcel size and community impacts for larger projects.
Commissioners requested staff gather: model checklist language from the International Code Council and Utah State Building Code references, information on SolarAPP+ integration and inspection workflows, and guidance on siting and emergency‑response requirements for battery installations. Commissioners also asked staff to compare the draft use chart to existing parcel sizes and zoning to make sure permitted/conditional categories are realistic for local land parcels.
Staff said a regional planning and zoning solar seminar is scheduled for June 23; commissioners encouraged attendance. They agreed to continue the topic at future meetings and to develop ordinance language that defers technical specifications to state and national code documents while retaining local land‑use controls.
The discussion was informational; no ordinance text was adopted at the meeting.
