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Council narrows battery storage zoning; planning commission recommendation would block all in-city sites
Summary
Council introduced a zoning text amendment for battery energy storage systems restricting them to heavy-manufacturing zones, setting separation from sensitive receptors and expanded public notice; planning commission's tougher agricultural buffer would eliminate in‑city sites and council voted to proceed as directed by staff.
Director of Community Development Shannon Dowell introduced an ordinance to amend zoning text for battery energy storage systems (BESS) following a high‑profile January fire at a Moss Landing facility. The amendment would define BESS in the municipal code, confine eligible sites to M‑2 (heavy manufacturing) zones, require an emergency response and action plan in coordination with police and fire, and set a quarter‑mile buffer from sensitive receptors such as residential areas, schools and hospitals.
Dowell said the planning commission recommended additional constraints: add agricultural cultivation uses to the list of sensitive receptors and expand notice to both tenants and property owners within two miles. With the planning commission's…
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